Simon Leys, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Simon Leys

Belgian-Australian writer, sinologist and essayist

Date of Birth: 28-Sep-1935

Place of Birth: Brussels metropolitan area, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium

Date of Death: 11-Aug-2014

Profession: writer, translator, poet lawyer, university teacher, literary critic, essayist, linguist, sinologist

Nationality: Belgium

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Pierre Ryckmans (28 September 1935 – 11 August 2014), better known by his pen name Simon Leys, was a Belgian-Australian writer, essayist and literary critic, translator, art historian, sinologist, and university professor.
His work particularly focused on the politics and traditional culture of China, calligraphy, French and English literature, the commercialization of universities, and nautical fiction.
Through the publication of his trilogy Les Habits neufs du président Mao (1971), Ombres chinoises (1974) and Images brisées (1976), he was one of the first intellectuals to denounce the Cultural Revolution in China and the idolizing of Mao in the West.