April 30, 2026
Criminal Lu Yan Shi . Talking to author Geling Yan and Larry Walker, publisher and translator.
The author’s two grandfathers were the inspiration for Criminal Lu YanShi, an intellectual who was disenchanted with the politics and turmoil in China during the 1930s. A chain of disappointments and disenchantments after returning to from the US left him depressed and a tragic figure.
Geling Yan is an acclaimed Chinese American author. Her books were widely circulated in China until the Covid Pandemic in 2020. She criticized the Chinese government for a lack of candor in dealing with the crisis. As a result her books are no longer published in China. Criminal Lu Yan Shi is inspired by her two grandfathers who were both persecuted as intellectuals. The cover art for the book was created by renowned Chinese artist and dissident AiWeiWei.
