Su Tong

Known for his controversial writing style, Su is one of the most acclaimed novelists in China. His novella, Raise the Red Lantern (1990), was adapted into a film of the same name by Zhang Yimou in 1991.

• Name — Tong Zhonggui • Native Name — 童忠贵 • Pen Name — Su Tong • Born — 1963 01 • Birthplace — Suzhou, Jiangsu, China • Occupation — Novelist • Language — Chinese • Education — Beijing Normal University • Period — 1980–present • Genre — Novel • Notable Works — Shadow of the Hunter

Su has written seven full-length novels and over 200 short stories, some of which have been translated into English, German, Italian and French. He is best known in the West for his novella Raise the Red Lantern (originally titled Wives and Concubines), published in 1990. The book was adapted into the film, Raise the Red Lantern by director Zhang Yimou. The book has since been published under the name given to the film in the English version and in some other versions. His other works available in English translation are Rice, My Life as Emperor, Petulia's Rouge Tin (Hongfen in Chinese), Binu and the Great Wall (tr. Howard Goldblatt), Madwoman on the Bridge and Other Stories, Tattoo: Three Novellas and The Boat to Redemption, also translated by Goldblatt. His novel Petulia's Rouge Tin, about two Shanghai prostitutes at the time of Liberation in 1949, has been adapted to two films: Li Shaohong's Blush (Hongfen, 1994) and Huang Shuqin's Rouged Beauties (Hongfen Jiaren, 1995). In 2009, he was awarded the Man Asian Literary Prize for his work The Boat to Redemption, the second Chinese writer to win the prize. In 2011, Su Tong was nominated to win the Man Booker International Prize. In 2015, he was a co-winner of the Mao Dun Literature Prize for Shadow of the Hunter.

• Midnight Stories. Translator Honey Watson. Horsham: Sinoist Books. November 2024. • Missives from the Masses. Translator Josh Stenberg. Horsham: Sinoist Books. February 2024. • Open-Air Cinema: Reminiscences and Micro-Essays from the Author of Raise the Red Lantern. Translators Haiwang Yuan, James Trapp, Nicky Harman, Olivia Milburn. Horsham: Sinoist Books. October 2021. • Shadow of the Hunter. Translator James Trapp. London: ACA Publishing. May 2020. * * * * * * * * • Includes Raise the Red Lantern, Nineteen Thirty-four Escapes, and Opium Family.

Su Tong was recorded at birth as 童忠贵. He also worked under the name 苏童. The authorities additionally record the heading Tong Zhonggui. His recorded language was Chinese.

Shang han lun tong su jiang hua / Liu Duzhou bian zhu; Fu Shiyuan zheng li. Recorded as writer and screenwriter.