Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong was a Chinese revolutionary, poet and playwright. Called 'the poet laureate of the Revolution' by Chinese and International scholars, Mao was a major literary force in the Socialist Republic of China following the conclusion of the Second World War.

Mao was active in the foundation and early years of the Communist Party of China, having set up a Party branch in Changsha, as well as establishing a a branch of the Socialist Youth Corps. However, he was expelled from the Party in 1936 due to what were considered 'nationalist' and 'chauvinist' tendencies in his writings and speeches.

However, his devotion to the cause did not wain, and he would continue to agitate well into the Second World War. It was during this time that he took up his pen, and began publishing poetry and fables for various revolutionary publications. After the conclusion of the war and the foundation of the Socialist Republic in 1947, his work began to be widely published both within both the TCI and the AFS. At the time of his death in 1976, Mao had published over thirty books including poetry, plays, essays on socialism and politics, and his autobiography which numbered four volumes.

Selected Works (not exhaustive)

 * The Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountains - A re-telling of a traditional Chinese parable, with a modern socialist twist, later turned into a libretto.
 * The Red Detachment of Women - A play about an all-female cadre in Hainan. Would become the basis for a popular film.
 * Songs of Hunan - His first published collection of poems. Became an international best-seller.
 * Spears and Bayonets - Collects a number of poems and essays written during the Great Revolutionary War.
 * Stages of the Sun - Autobiography in four volumes. The last work published before his death.
 * On Literature - A collection of essays on classic Chinese literature, in particular the 'Four Great Novels' of China.
 * The Red Masters of Peking - Mao's only full-length novel. An example of the wuxia genre of chivalrous martial arts fiction, of which Mao loved as a young man. Considered to be his most divisive work.
 * The Singing Frog And Other Tales - A collection of fables inspired by traditional Chinese folklore. Considered a classic of Children's literature.