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This picture taken on July 19, 2010 shows Chinese writer Mo Yan, the 2012 Nobel Literature Prize winner, attending a premier of a TV series in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang province. Chinese author Mo Yan on October 11 won the Nobel Literature Prize for writing that mixes folk tales, history and the contemporary, the Swedish Academy announced.

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Dominican MIT professor Junot Diaz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his novel "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" attends a ceremony in Santo Domingo, on May 1, 2008.

If you put your money on Chinese author Mo Yan to win the Nobel prize in literature, you probably made out pretty well. He was announced as the winner earlier today, beating out favored big-name writers like Haruki Murakami and Philip Roth.

Here to give us an introduction to the work of Mo Yan is our book critic David Kipen. He's also the founder of the bookstore slash lending library - Libros Schmibros in Boyle Heights.

We also discuss the winner of the National Book Awards, Junot Diaz, who is also the recipient of the 2012 MacArthur Genius Grant.