Simon Leys
Pierre Ryckmans (28 September 1935 – 11 August 2014), better known by his
pen name Simon Leys, was a
Belgian-Australian writer, essayist and
literary critic, translator, art historian,
sinologist, and university professor, who lived in Australia from 1970. His work particularly focused on the politics and traditional culture of China, calligraphy, French and English literature, the commercialization of universities, and
nautical fiction. Through the publication of his trilogy ''Les Habits neufs du président Mao'' (1971), ''Ombres chinoises'' (1974) and ''Images brisées'' (1976), he was one of the first intellectuals to denounce the
Cultural Revolution in China and the idolizing of
Mao in the West.
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