The writer and sinologist Pierre Ryckmans died – The World

won several literary awards and sinologist known, the Belgian writer Pierre Ryckmans, known to his readers as the Simon Leys died in Canberra Australia reported local daily The Australian . Information confirmed Monday, August 11 by its publisher Black Inc. He was 78 years old.

Born in Brussels and graduated from the University of Louvain (Belgium), he had a career as a diplomat Hongkong. In 1970 he had moved to Australia to teach literature and to devote himself to the study of China.

His criticism of the early Cultural Revolution ( New Clothes of Chairman Mao , 1971) earned him the wrath of those he called the ‘Maoists worldly “, especially the leaders of the journal Tel Quel . A position far removed from that of his peers at the time. Latter generally praising the Great Helmsman

Writing either in French and English, Pierre Ryckmans also received the Prix Renaudot in 2001 Test for Proteus and Other Essays published by Gallimard. Fascinated by the sea, it was part of the Association of Writers of the Navy, founded by Jean-François Deniau.