After being surrounded by controversies, Chinese author Mo Yan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature by the King of Sweden.

Chinese author Mo Yan, who was recently surrounded by controversies after defending censorship in a press conference in Stockholm, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature by the Kind of Sweden. The author thanked the members of the Swedish Academy and said he "admired" them for "stick[ing] firmly to their own convictions."

"I want to take this opportunity to express my admiration for the members of the Swedish Academy, who stick firmly to their own convictions. I am confident that you will not let yourselves be affected by anything other than literature."

The Nobel committee's Chairman, Per Wästberg, praised the Chinese author for writing about a past that "with his exaggerations, parodies and derivations from myths and folk tales, is a convincing and scathing revision of 50 years of propaganda ... instead of communism's poster-happy history".

Yan said he was sure there were other worthy laureates than him but winning the award felt like a fairytale.

"I am also well aware that literature only has a minimal influence on political disputes or economic crises in the world, but its significance to human beings is ancient," said Mo Yan, a pen name meaning "don't speak". "When literature exists, perhaps we do not notice how important it is, but when it does not exist, our lives become coarsened and brutal. For this reason, I am proud of my profession, but also aware of its importance."

Yan is also aware that him winning the award has given rise to another controversy after defending censorship and comparing it to the security checks he had to go through at the Stockholm airport. While they were a bit hassling, Yan said they were necessary.

"At first I thought I was the target of the disputes, but over time I've come to realize that the real target was a person who had nothing to do with me," he said. "Like someone watching a play in a theatre, I observed the performances around me. I saw the winner of the prize both garlanded with flowers and besieged by stone-throwers and mudslingers. I was afraid he would succumb to the assault, but he emerged from the garlands of flowers and the stones, a smile on his face; he wiped away mud and grime, stood calmly off to the side, and said to the crowd, 'For a writer, the best way to speak is by writing. You will find everything I need to say in my works. Speech is carried off by the wind; the written word can never be obliterated. I would like you to find the patience to read my books. I cannot force you to do that, and even if you do, I do not expect your opinion of me to change. No writer has yet appeared, anywhere in the world, who is liked by all his readers; that is especially true during times like these."