Chinese Nobel Laureate

Chinese writer Mo Yan, whose real name is Guan Moye, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in October. The 57-year-old writer, a native of Gaomi in east China's Shandong Province, has used his hometown as the backdrop of many of his novels. His breakthrough came with the novel Red Sorghum, published in 1987. Other masterpieces include Big Breast and Wide Hips, Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, Frog, and Pow. The Swedish Academy praised Mo's "hallucinatoric realism," saying it "merges folk tales, history and the contemporary."

New AU Chief 

The new head of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, took office in October, becoming the first female to assume the top position of the 54-member continental bloc. Dlamini-Zuma, who has previously served as South Africa's health and foreign affairs minister, vowed to work toward solving the peace and security challenges facing the African continent. She also vowed to support economic development, ensure women's rights, and boost health and education.