'Midwife' of Chinese literature prized for his work on woman author

Professor Howard Goldblatt, hailed as the "midwife" of contemporary Chinese literature by John Updike, was sweating when he received the Xiao Hong Research Award on June 3, in Harbin, for his contribution in refocusing attention on the long-neglected author.

"I am not someone who wins prizes; I am someone who plays a modest role in helping writers win prizes," Goldblatt responds in an e-mail interview.

"Professor Goldblatt is without doubt the most important person regarding the spread of Chinese literature," literary critic Chen Xiaoming says, adding that Goldblatt has translated the most Chinese literary works of the highest quality.