Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize for literature.
He is the first Chinese national to win the $US1.2 million prize, awarded by the Swedish Academy.
The academy says Mo Yan, 57, uses a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives to create a world which is reminiscent of the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Mo Yan is a pen name which means "Don't Speak". His real name is Guan Moye, who was forced to drop out of primary school and herd cattle during the Cultural Revolution.
Mo told the China News Service he was happy to have won.
"But I do not think that my winning can be seen as representing anything,'' he said. ''I think that China has many outstanding authors, and their great works should also be recognised by the world.
"Next, I'm going to put most of my efforts into creating my new works. I will keep working hard, and I thank everyone.
"As to whether I go to Sweden to receive the prize, I will wait for word from the organisers about arrangements."
