Gao Xingjian (Ganzhou, China , January 4, 1940 -) is a French writer of Chinese descent. [1] He is also a translator (especially the works of Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco ), screenwriter, director and painter. In 1998, Gao was granted French citizenship. His prose works are considered less valuable in China although they are considered very valuable elsewhere, in Europe and in the West. In 2000, the Royal Swedish Academy awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature " for a work of universal reach, marked by bitter awareness and linguistic ingenuity that opened new avenues of Chinese novel and theater art. "[2] With this act, Xingjian went down in history as the first Chinese to receive this valuable award.