Bookworms dig in for a literary feast

Champagne corks popped and bookish types raised their glasses last night at the launch of The Beijing Bookworm International Literary Festival, after which they settled down to hear first-hand accounts of the lives of writers Qiu Xiaolong and Adam Williams.

The bestselling author of the Inspector Chen detective series was flown in from the United States to share his insights on crime and how to write it; while British novelist and businessman Williams discussed his China trilogy and historical fiction in general.

Over 40 writers, directors, reporters and associated trades people dealing with the printed word have been inked in to appear at the two-week festival.

Brainchild of Bookworm founder Alexandra Pearson, it began as an informal collection of events three years ago organized by the Sanlitun-based bookshop. In 2007, it coalesced into a recognizable festival and this time around there is substantial corporate funding, a tie-in with Australian Writer's Week, a glossy brochure and informative website.

"We were encouraged by the hosting of authors we had previously done at the bookshop. Similar, large-scale festivals held in Ubud (Indonesia), Hong Kong and Shanghai are well attended and it seems there is a buzz in Asia for these kinds of things," Pearson says.

The old-China hand lived in Beijing when her parents worked here in the 1980s. She later studied Chinese at a British university and was given a scholarship to continue her education at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

"I arrived in 1992 with a backpack and a trumpet and when I told the taxi driver I was a student of music he turned to me and said, 'You must be rich.' I didn't understand quite what he meant then, but actually you need time and money to study art.

"Here we are in 2008 and we have more time and money to really enjoy the arts and that is why it is the right time and place for an international book festival."

Pearson says putting on the festival would have been a more difficult proposition in the 1990s, but with a critical mass of expats in the city, a developing literary scene, new government emphasis on cultural productions and a number of accomplished translators, it's an idea whose time has come.

"In the past, it was hard to get works translated but there are a lot of talented people doing it now. Like painting, a lot of Chinese authors are becoming massive and the world is interested in them, especially with the Olympics coming up."

Pearson says she is also pleased that Penguin will launch its translation of Jiang Rong's bestseller The Wolf Totem during the festival. It made history as the largest overseas book deal ($100,000) for a Chinese author two years ago.

Festival manager Jenny Niven says the varied formats of the events, including films, panel discussions, workshops, literary dinners, lectures from journalists and book launches, ensures a "broad sweep of literary events" that will please a diverse crowd.

"Corporate sponsorship has allowed us to widen the scope of the event and bring in people from around the world. The simultaneous book festivals in Hong Kong and Shanghai mean there has been a lot of cooperation and sharing of resources."

Niven also mentions the Olympics as a focal point for the interest in contemporary China that is being mined by local and international authors.

Beijing Portrait of a City is an illustrated collection of short stories, essays and poetry featuring a number of well-known local and foreign authors that has been compiled for the festival by Pearson and Lucy Cavender.

Complementary book festivals at Bookworm stores in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and Chengdu, Sichuan province, have already begun.

For further information about the festival, including details of how to book tickets for events, go to The Bookworm International Literary Festival 2008 website at www.beijingbookworm.com, or call the festival hotline 13264217462.

(China Daily 03/07/2008 page19)