Shen, Congwen, 1902-1988

Shen Congwen (沈从文; 沈從文; 28 December 1902 – 10 May 1988), formerly romanized as Shen Ts'ung-wen, was a Chinese writer. Born in the multiethnic region of western Hunan, Shen spent his early years roaming the frontier regions of southwestern China as a soldier and a tax collector. Following the New Culture Movement, he moved to Beijing and rose to prominence for his “native soil” literature featuring idyllic, ethnic cultures and colorful, underclass characters. In the 1930s, his advocacy of apolitical literature made him a target of attacks from left-wing writers. After the Communist takeover of Beijing in 1949, Shen attempted suicide. He subsequently abandoned literary writing under Communist rule, devoting the rest of his life to the study of historical artifacts and material culture. Shen was slated to win the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature but died before it could be awarded.