Jerick Kim M. Pogoy | BSEd English 3B | LIT.

313D - Literary Criticism

Biographical Sketch of Liu Xiaobo

a. Full Name

 Liu Xiaobo (Chinese: 刘晓波 劉曉波)

b. Date of Birth – Date of Death
 28 December 1955 – 13 July 2017
c. Main Concept/s
 Liu Xiaobo is a well-known poet, essayist, philosopher, activist and a literary
critic was pushing through democratic freedom for about 20 years in China that
leads him to several accusations and imprisonment in participating with protest
and appeal to demand reforms in China. He mainly focuses on freedom and
holding on to the Article 35 of the Chinese constitution that states the “freedom of
speech, of the press, of assembly, association, of procession and demonstration”.
d. Main Area of Interest in Criticism
 Liu was a vocal critic in his perception with the questionable and controversial
Chinese government at that time. As a former literature professor in Beijing
Normal University, his writings tells more on Chinese culture, society, democracy
and human rights. He was jailed because of his participation on the peaceful
protests with students in Tiananmen square that leads him into imprisonment for
21 months and later on sentenced for about 11 years in prison due to “inciting
subversion” with his involvement in the manifesto of Charter ’08 that calls for
political reforms in Chinese government.
e. Influence
 Liu began his doctoral studies in 1986 and began publishing literary critiques in
various publications. He became known as a "dark horse" for his radical views and
scathing criticisms of official doctrines and institutions. Opinions like these
shocked both literary and ideological circles, and his influence on Chinese
intellectuals was dubbed the "Liu Xiaobo Shock" or the "Liu Xiaobo
Phenomenon". Criticism of the Choice: Dialogs with Li Zehou, his first book, was
published in 1987 and became a nonfiction bestseller.[34] It comprehensively
criticized the Chinese Confucianism tradition and posed a direct challenge to Li
Zehou, a rising ideological star who had a strong influence on contemporaneous
young intellectuals in China.
f. Catchphrase/s
 “Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights, the source of humanity
and the mother of truth.” “I hope that I'm not the type of person who, standing at
the doorway to hell, strikes a heroic pose and then starts frowning with
indecision.”
https://www.hrw.org/tag/liu-xiaobo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Xiaobo

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2626335.Xiaobo_Liu#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFreedom%20of%20expression%20is
%20the,and%20the%20mother%20of%20truth.%E2%80%9D&text=%E2%80%9CI%20hope%20that%20I'm,then%20starts
%20frowning%20with%20indecision.%E2%80%9D