Can Xue: The Chinese author who could win the Nobel prize

She is a Chinese author who remains relatively unknown in her homeland, but that may soon change if she receives this year's Nobel Prize in Literature.

Can Xue has experienced one of the most tumultuous periods of the 20th century firsthand. Born as one of eight children, her early years were set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a decade-long period of upheaval and violence.

During the height of the Communist revolution, her father, an editorial director at a newspaper, was sent to the countryside for manual labor, and her mother, who also worked for the same publication, suffered the same fate. As a result, Can Xue's own education was disrupted, and she only managed to complete elementary school.

It wasn't until she reached her late twenties that Can Xue rediscovered her passion for writing.

Can Xue, whose real name is Deng Xiaohua, was born in Hunan province in 1953. Her upbringing was marked by her father's collection of philosophy books, as he was an avid student of Marxism.

However, the Cultural Revolution drastically altered the course of her life. Launched by Mao Zedong to promote communism and remove capitalist, traditional, and cultural influences from society, the revolution brought immense suffering to her family and millions of others. They endured public humiliation, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and the seizure of their belongings. Can Xue, a Chinese author who remains relatively obscure in her home country, could soon gain global recognition if she clinches this year's Nobel Prize in Literature. 

Can Xue's life has been deeply entwined with one of the most turbulent periods of the 20th century. Born into a family of eight children just a few years before China's Cultural Revolution, she experienced the upheaval and violence that gripped the nation for nearly a decade. 

During the hardline Communist revolution, her father, an editorial director at a newspaper, was exiled to the countryside for manual labor, and her mother, who also worked for the same publication, suffered a similar fate. Consequently, her own educational pursuits were abruptly halted, and she only managed to complete elementary school. 

It wasn't until her late twenties that Can Xue rekindled her passion for writing. 

Born as Deng Xiaohua in Hunan province in 1953, she was surrounded by her father's collection of philosophy books, as he was an avid student of Marxism. However, the onset of the Cultural Revolution, a campaign led by Mao Zedong to enforce communism by eradicating capitalist, traditional, and cultural influences from society, dramatically altered her life. Her parents, like millions of others, endured persecution, including public humiliation, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and the confiscation of their possessions—a grim tableau of widespread abuses that swept across the nation.