Heated discussions have erupted over whether Mo Yan's literary works should be taught to senior high school students now that the writer has become China's first Nobel laureate in literature.

Zhang Xiafang from Language & Culture Press told the Beijing Times that the publisher has included one of Mo's short stories in a book containing 40 short stories from 20 Chinese and 20 foreign authors that will be offered as supplementary reading material for senior high school students.

This would be the first time Mo's works have been officially approved for high school students in the county.

Zhang said the publisher decided to add Mo's short story, titled Transparent Carrot, after the writer won the Nobel Prize in Literature on October 11.

Published in 1985, Transparent Carrot reflects on the author's difficult and lonely youth. Many people say while the work is a coming-of-age story, it is aimed at adult readers and the content may be difficult for young people to understand.

Wang Benlu, head of the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education with Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times that winning the prize makes Mo a very influential writer.

"It is not a bad thing to introduce his works to students as both his language and storylines resonate with modern times," said Wang, adding that the selection must consider both the artistic value and the educational effect.

Many of Mo's works are set in his hometown in Gaomi county, Shandong Province, and include plots from the 1911 Revolution, Japan's invasion to the Cultural Revolution (1966-76).

Li Jingze, editor-in-chief of the People's Literature magazine, said many of Mo's early works are brilliant, poetic and very suitable for teenagers. "Transparent Carrot will enable teenagers to catch the beauty of Chinese language."

Qi Xiaohong, a teacher of Chinese with the No.57 High School in Beijing, told the Global Times that Mo's writings involve mature subject matter.

"His magic realism style is hard for students to understand and some sharp descriptions make them inappropriate for them," Qi said.