By Siobhan O’Leary

Chinese novelist and poet Liao Yiwu expected to participate in the LitCologne festival in Germany, which takes place March 10-20, but he has instead been placed under house arrest. Liao, whose work is banned in China, had already boarded the plane in Chengdu on Monday when he was escorted off by authorities. BuchMarkt reported that although Liao had a German visa and the support of the German government, he has been blacklisted and kept on a tight leash in China since 1989. He also spent four years in prison for his critical poem entitled “Massacre.” Liao is best known in Germany for his book Fräulein Hallo und der Bauernkaiser: Chinas Gesellschaft von unten (The Corpse Walker), published by S. Fischer.