APWT Manila Conference / Jane Camens

This has been a busy few weeks in the Asian literary calendar, with a variety of events on offer. See, for example, recent posts on the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, and the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, as well as the on-going series from the Singapore Writers Festival. Furthermore, the region’s literary network, Asia Pacific Writers and Translators, which is currently based in Hong Kong, but which is soon to move its headquarters to Brisbane, held its eighth annual conference in Manila, from 22 – 25 October.  Here Jane Camens, co-founder and Executive Director, Asia Pacific Writers and Translators, gives an account of proceedings.

This Week in Asian Review of Books

See the Asian Review of Books for ever-interesting discussion. Here is a list of its newest reviews, excerpts, letters, essays, and round ups:

Letter from Singapore: Opening of the Writers Festival by Rosie Milne
Last War of the World-Island: The Geopolitics of Contemporary Russia by Alexander Dugin reviewed by Francis P Sempa

Links to essays on Asian books and writing 
A Brief History of Indonesia; Sultans, Spices, and Tsunamis: The Incredible Story of Southeast Asia’s Largest Nation by Tim Hannigan reviewed by Stephen Joyce
Asia’s New Battlefield: The USA, China, and the Struggle for the Western Pacific by Richard Javad Heydarian reviewed by Salvatore Babones

Day 3: Singapore Writers Festival

Asian Books Blog is based in Singapore. During the Singapore Writers Festival, (SWF) which is on now, and runs through until November 8, daily posts will offer a flavour of events in the Lion City.

So: Day 3...

The Sunday Post / Secular Publisher Hacked To Death In Bangladesh

The Sunday Post is suspended this week, because of the Singapore Writers Festival, but one calamity must be reported.

There is again horrible news from Bangladesh, where four atheist bloggers have been murdered over the past few months: Islamist extremists have hacked to death one publisher of secular books,  Faisal Arefin Deepan, and attacked another one, landing him in hospital. Two writers were also attacked. 

You will be able to find plenty of coverage on the internet, and through social media, but here are some places to start:

The Daily Star (Bangladesh) - under the headline free thinking mauled once again.

PEN, the international free speech advocacy group, this is the response from the American branch. 

The Guardian (UK)

Al Jazeera (Qatar) 

The Hindu (India)

Day 2: Singapore Writers Festival

Asian Books Blog is based in Singapore. During the Singapore Writers Festival, (SWF) which is on now, and runs through until November 8, daily posts will offer a flavour of events in the Lion City.

So: Day 2 ...

I evidently managed to miss Stories From Islands, Songs From Islanders 1, but I did catch Stories From Islands, Songs From Islanders 2. This brought together 5 authors, from geographically widely separated islands, to explore what, if anything, is unique about literature from islands. Does it reveal a sense of isolation? A strong sense of identity? Or what?

Olivia & Sophia: Launch

Olivia & Sophia, my own new historical novel, which examines Raffles' life through the eyes of his two wives, has its Asian launch at the Singapore Writers Festival tomorrow - Sunday November 1. (It will be publishing in the UK in March 2016.) If you happen to be in Singapore, and you'd like to come along: great! The launch is 5.30 - 6.30 at The Arts House.  

Olivia & Sophia is available from Amazon here.

Day 1: Singapore Writers Festival

Asian Books Blog is based in Singapore. During the Singapore Writers Festival, (SWF) which is on now, and runs through until November 8, daily posts will offer a flavour of events on offer in the Lion City.

So: an update on the launch...

Q & A: Yeow Kai Chai

Lit-wise, Hong Kong and Singapore are both busy at the moment.  The Hong Kong International Literary Festival started on Monday, October 26, and runs through until November 8. Meanwhile, The Singapore Writers Festival starts today, October 30, and also runs until November 8.  (The two Festivals often overlap; when last year I asked why, I was told it enabled authors travelling long distances from the West to visit both Hong Kong, and Singapore.)

Yesterday, Phillipa Milne, Programme Manager, Hong Kong International Literary Festival answered questions.  Today, it’s the turn of Yeow Kai Chai, Festival Director, Singapore Writers Festival. (SWF)

So: over to Kai Chai…

Q & A: Phillipa Milne

Lit-wise, Hong Kong and Singapore are both busy at the moment.  The Hong Kong International Literary Festival started on Monday, October 26, and runs through until November 8. Meanwhile, The Singapore Writers Festival starts tomorrow, October 30, and also runs until November 8.  (The two Festivals often overlap; when last year I asked why, I was told it enabled authors travelling long distances from the West to visit both Hong Kong, and Singapore.)

Today, Phillipa Milne, Programme Manager, Hong Kong International Literary Festival, answers questions.  Tomorrow, it will be the turn of Yeow Kai Chai, Festival Director, Singapore Writers Festival.

So: over to Phillipa…

Ubud Censorship / Upcoming Festivals

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival starts today, and runs through until November 1. The start of the Festival has been marred by censorship. This year is the 50^th anniversary of communist repression and killings in Indonesia, in 1965. Ubud Writers & Readers Festival had planned to mark the anniversary – but the authorities had other ideas.

David T. K. Wong by Lee Li Ying

Author and philanthropist David T. K. Wong is an elder statesman of Asian letters. Here, Lee Li Ying, one of his editors at Epigram Books, the Singapore-based publisher of Adrift, the first part of his multi-volume family memoir, reveals him to be a man who knows his passion, purpose and priorities.

Q & A: Chantal Jauvin

Chantal Jauvin co-authored, with Dr. Amporn Wathanavongs, The Boy with A Bamboo Heart, an account of Dr. Amporn’s life.

Dr. Amporn, the founder of the Foundation for Rehabilitation and Development of Children and Family (FORDEC), is today one of Thailand's most generous benefactors – but he didn’t have an easy start to life. Orphaned at six, he scrambled for survival in the markets of Surin.  At fifteen, he became a boy soldier, trekking through the Cambodian jungle. His tumultuous experiences left him prone to self-loathing, but through learning to accept the kindness of others he surmounted his self-destructive tendencies. After a spell as a Buddhist monk, he was able to follow his true vocation, and, eventually, to save the lives of over 50,000 street children.

Asian Review of Books / More Catching-up

See the Asian Review of Books for ever-interesting discussion. Here is a list of reviews, excerpts, letters, essays, and round ups published whilst I was away:

The Sunday Post / Catch-up

The Sunday Post usually offers a rojak* of items from the previous week, but since I’ve been away, this one covers the last fortnight…

But One Last Thing....

Also, this is the cover of my new novel, Olivia & Sophia.  I hope you like it.

Olivia & Sophia is a fictionalised account of the adventures of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, as seen through the eyes of his two wives.

It's in paperback, from Monsoon Books, publishing Nov 1 in Asia and Australia, and next year in the UK.  I'll post more about it when I'm back...

Closing Until October 25

I will be travelling in the States for the next 2 weeks, so I'm closing Asian Books Blog for the duration.  It will resume with The Sunday Post on October 25. Until then: happy reading!

Svetlana Alexievich WinsThe Nobel

Alexievich at the Nobel ceremony

The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2015 has been awarded to the Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time."

Lion City Lit: New Books From Ethos

Asian Books Blog is based in Singapore. Lion City Lit explores what’s going on in the City-State, lit-wise. Local publisher Ethos Books has recently launched a slew of new books, and will be launching several more at the upcoming Singapore Writers Festival, SGWF, which will run Oct 30 - Nov 8.  Click on the highlighted link to explore  a selection of what Ethos is offering...

This Week in Asian Review of Books

See the Asian Review of Books for ever-interesting discussion. Here is a list of its newest reviews, excerpts, letters, essays, and round ups:

Holy Ghosts: The Christian Century in Modern Japanese Fiction by Rebecca Suter reviewed by Todd Shimoda
China and Cybersecurity: Espionage, Strategy, and Politics in the Digital Domain, edited by Jon R. Lindsay, Tai Ming Cheung and Derek S Reveron reviewed by Nicholas Gordon
Aa Maratheyum Marannu Marannu Njan: And Slowly Forgetting That Tree by KR Meera, translated by J. Devika reviewed by Jane Wallace
The Iran Nuclear Deal: A Definitive Guide by Gary Samore, et al. reviewed by Francis P Sempa
Princess Bari by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell reviewed by John W. W. Zeiser
Changing Chinese Cities: The Potentials of Field Urbanism by Renee Y. Chow reviewed by Simone van Nieuwenhuizen
Tor Aman and Mehr Gul by Salman Rashid

The Sunday Post

A rojak* of items that caught my eye this week…