季風人文講壇第93期：Geling Yan 严歌苓

My Life in Writing: A Conversation with Geling Yan

with Gelin Yan & Kyle Shernuk

January 13, 2026｜In English 

The life of author and scriptwriter Geling Yan 嚴歌苓 has been one of great variety:  soldier, dancer, author, scriptwriter, diplomatic spouse, and resident of mainland China, the US, Taiwan, Nigeria and currently Berlin.  She has witnessed the massacre at Tiananmen Square and gone from being a high-profile celebrity in China to having her work banned and her online presence and film credit erased. She now publishes her own uncensored work, most recently the English translation of her epic novel Criminal Lu Yanshi, about the life and times of a Chinese intellectual who values truth and freedom but ends up spending much of his life in a labor camp.  Please join us for a fascinating exchange moderated by Georgetown professor Kyle Shernuk.

About the Speakers 

Yan Geling was born in Shanghai and served as a dancer in a People’s Liberation Army entertainment troupe during starting at age 12. She has written over 30 books and won over 30 literature and film awards. Many of her works have been adapted for film and television by major Chinese film directors. Her work has been translated into 21 languages.

Moderator: Kyle Shernuk is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University specializing in modern and contemporary Chinese and Sinophone literature, film, and culture. His research focuses on ethnicity, indigeneity, queerness, language, and marginalized communities across global Chinese-speaking societies. He has published in leading journals and edited volumes, including Prism, International Journal of Taiwan Studies, and A New Literary History of Modern China.