Mo Yan to announce shock retirement?

Sad news for Yan fans. Speculation had been rife that Nobel Prize in Literature 2012 is about to announce his retirement from all public activities, at age 71, with immediate effect.

UPDATE 20/03/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Being an author isn't fun anymore

“As we get older, there are phases of life that we enter into, and being an author just isn't fun anymore,” he might have said, says a source who remained anonymous. Other reports hinted that he may branch out into other creative fields he is better at (and more interested in), though they didn't provide any details.

#ThankYouMo

For a little while on Thursday evening, #ThankYouMo was a trending hashtag on Twitter. As many fans reminisce and look back on all the unforgettable memories, some may wonder what about now made him make the decision.

“Mo Yan was unlike any other author we’ve ever seen! #ThankYouMo”
— @universalObserver, 19 Mar 2026

“Didn't Mo Yan retire about 3 years ago?”
— @samy2love, 19 Mar 2026

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