Meandering along . . .

Today is the birthday of Gao Xingjian (born January 4, 1940), novelist, playwright, critic, and painter. In 2000, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Here is another author whose work has been banned.

"Walk where your heart leads you, there are no restrictions and no burdens."
- Gao Xingjian

"The human species does not necessarily move in stages from progress to progress ... history and civilization do not advance in tandem. From the stagnation of Medieval Europe to the decline and chaos in recent times on the mainland of Asia and to the catastrophes of two world wars in the twentieth century, the methods of killing people became increasingly sophisticated. Scientific and technological progress certainly does not imply that humankind as a result becomes more civilized."
- Gao Xingjian

"When you use words, you're able to keep your mind alive. Writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence."
- Gao Xingjian

"Everyone has to have either this or that problem, if he can't find any problem, he loses all reason for living."
- Gao Xingjian

"Dreams are more real than reality itself, they're closer to the self."
- Gao Xingjian

Gao Xingjian image source (1)