China's Pegasus Prize reflects new generation of diverse literature
China's top literary prize for Internet literature was given to five novels on Tuesday in Shanghai.
Internet novels, or novels primarily published online, are often considered to be low quality despite their popularity. The Shanghai Writer's Association was among the first in the nation to start a serious literary prize for such work in 2018.
"From the very beginning, we wanted the prize to reflect the increasingly higher quality and more diverse subjects of the Internet novels," Wang Wei, vice president of the Shanghai Writers' Association, said at the awards ceremony.
"Shanghai is an important headquarters of China's Internet literature, and the birth place of the Pegasus Prize, so we feel deeply responsible to help further improve its quality through this prize."
Zhang Xu follows a group of aerospace students in their work for China's Beidou satellite.
The prize, in its second sitting, is given every three years. The five winners were selected from works recommended by 21 literature sites, via three rounds of discussions and selection from writers and experts.
"There are many prizes out there that select Internet novels most enjoyable to read, but the Pegasus Prize goes further to find those enjoyable, artistic and insightful ones," explained Bai Ye, a researcher with the literature institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a juror of the prize.
"It's a top prize for Internet literature in that sense."
Gao Chenming depicts an idealistic doctor.
Bai added that the five winners also reflect the innovative feature of Internet novels ― difficult to define or categorize based on theories of literary criticism.
Xiao Qixiao follows a protagonist who time travels from 1930s China to 1980s Lujiazui in Shanghai and back again to depict social transformations from a unique perspective.
Shi Ruilei's science fiction/fantasy depicts a doomsday scenario where the red moon induces some kind of psychological disease.
Zhang Xu follows a group of aerospace students in their work for China's own Beidou satellite. Gao Chenming depicts an idealistic doctor through storytelling methods of medical drama and animation. Yuan Ye integrated both ancient Chinese philosophy and Western industrialization elements in a Utopian steampunk novel.
Xiao Qixiao follows a protagonist who time travels from 1930s China to 1980s Lujiazui in Shanghai and back again.
Shi Ruilei's science fiction/fantasy depicts a doomsday scenario.
Yuan Ye integrates both ancient Chinese philosophy and Western industrialization elements in a utopian steampunk novel.
