Li Jie (Chinese: 励婕; pinyin: Lì Jié), more commonly known by her pen name Anni Baobei or Annie Baby (Chinese: 安妮宝贝), is a Chinese novelist, born 11 July 1974 in Ningbo, Zhejiang.[3] She is nicknamed "Flower in the Dark" by her readers due to her novels' themes of loneliness and isolation.[4]

Anni Baobei
Born励婕
Li Jie
(1974-07-11) July 11, 1974 (age 50)
Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Pen nameAnnie Baby (安妮宝贝)
Qing Shan (庆山)[1]
OccupationNovelist, short story writer
LanguageChinese
NationalityChinese
Period1998-
GenreNovel
Children1[2]

Li currently lives in Beijing.[5]

Writing career

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In her early twenties, Li worked at a bank in Ningbo, but her distaste for the job led her to begin her career as an online writer in 1998. In 2000, she began writing for the website Rongshuxia, which was one of China's first literary forums.[6] In that same year, she published Goodbye, Vivian, a collection of short stories; this was her first print publication, and would sell half a million copies.[7][8][5]

Li has also worked as an editor of the literary journal Open and as a translator of children's books.[7] Her work appears in Chinese magazines Harvest, Writers and Elle.[5]

Works

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  • Goodbye, Vivian (告別薇安) (2000), short story
  • Qiyue and Ansheng (七月与安生) (2000), short story
  • Endless August (八月未央) (2001), short story
  • The Flower Across the Bank (彼岸花)
  • Spring Banquet, novel
  • The Road of Others (去往别处的路上), short story
  • Two or Three Things (二三事) (2004), novel
  • Lotus (莲花) (2006), novel: The main characters, Shansheng and Qingzhao, travel on foot to a village in Tibet, where one of Shansheng's boyhood friends works as a teacher. Information about Shansheng and Qingzhao is revealed in flashbacks: they are successful in their professional lives, but feel disillusioned with life in the city. Ultimately, the two attempt to make a life for themselves outside of the confines of contemporary Chinese society.[9]
  • Padma (莲花) (2006), novel
  • The Beauty of Old Books

Note that many of Li's works do not yet have standardized English translations.

Media adaptations

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References

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  1. ^ 远去的“安妮宝贝”,归来的“庆山” Retrieved 2016-12-31
  2. ^ 安妮宝贝首写女儿 Retrieved 2016-12-31
  3. ^ Zhang, Junmian (December 6, 2011). "Top 15 richest Chinese writers—#5—Annie Baby". China Internet Information Center. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  4. ^ "Peony Literary Agency - About Us". Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  5. ^ a b c "Annie Baby".
  6. ^ Jenny, Hewett (3 July 2012). "Anni Baobei Interview". Time Out Dubai. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b Baobei, Anni (December 2022). "Qiyue and Ansheng". MCLC Resource Center. Translated by Linshan Jiang. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Creative Work". Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  9. ^ "Lotus, Annie Baby". Creative Work. Archived from the original on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
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