China gives its judgment on foreign literature

British writer Richard Francis, French writer Jean-Christophe Rufin and Russian writer Olga Slavnikova were in Beijing recently to receive the 21st Century Best Foreign Novel of the Year Award. They also attended a series of events celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the award's inauguration.

Francis won this year's award with The Old Spring, which narrates a day in a pub in the south of England. Rufin's Katiba is an adventure story centering on terrorism. Slavnikova's Light Head tells the story of how a businessman safeguards his freedom when confronted with absurd treatment.

The award was initiated by People's Literature Publishing House and China Foreign Literature Association in 2001, to honor and introduce to Chinese readers the latest quality foreign literature. During the past decade, 62 novels in eight languages from 19 countries have been translated and published in the series.