Posted: April 20th, 2012 | No Comments »
I’ll quickly plug this appearance by the artist Xu Bing at Three on the Bund this Sunday. Xu Bing provided a great graphic to Hong Kong University Press of their logo that was used on several of my earlier books and was always commented upon. So I’m a fan. I also note that Mian Mian is on the panel – I haven’t seen her for ages but we had a lot of fun a few years ago at a Hong Kong Literary Festival events around her novels Candy and Panda Sex.
Three Talk session
Three on the Bund
Sunday, April 22, 2012
3.30-6pm
Book from the Sky to Book from the Ground
Special guest speakers will include leading contemporary artist Xu Bing and noted author Mian Mian
RSVP: threetalk@on-the-bund.com
Xu Bing is one of China’s most important artists as well as a prominent figure in the international contemporary art world. The works on view at SGA is a continuation of Xu’s longstanding interest in the relationship between symbol, text and meaning.
In this lecture, the artist will trace the conceptual development of these themes starting with his groundbreaking, Book from the Sky (1987-1991) for which the artist single handedly invented over 3000 new Chinese characters, through his New English Calligraphy Series (1994- ), which morphs English words into Chinese characters, to the development of Book from the Ground. This talk will reveal the mechanisms behind Xu Bing’s creative process and show the evolution of this extraordinary artist’s vision.
Three Talk is an ongoing inspirational speaker series held at the historic Three on the Bund. The talks are a reflection of THREE Spirit – an appreciation of and respect for philanthropy, cultural sensitivity and unity in diversity. The purpose of the series is to engage the local community in discussions on topical socio-economic issues around the world, with particular emphasis on China.
Posted: April 20th, 2012 | No Comments »
The Atlantic ran this great article with photos on the fate of villas in Shanghai….well worth a read – click here
I won’t nick the pictures of the site so you’ll have to click through to see – hence this post is a little visually dreary!
Posted: April 19th, 2012 | No Comments »
There’s a US version of the Midnight in Peking website now – all the same except it has the US cover on the site and details of US events….
Here, by the way are some bookshop dates I’ll be doing around the USA at the end of this month, start of May…obviously lovely to see anybody!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
ATLANTA, GA
Georgia Center for the Book
1282 McConnell Drive, Decatur, Georgia
7:00 PM
Information: Georgia Center for the Book
Thursday, April 26, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC
One More Page Books
2200 N Westmoreland Street, Arlington, Virginia
7:00 PM
Information: On More Page Books
Saturday, April 28, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC
Politics & Prose
5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC
1:00 PM
Information: Politics Prose
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
ST. LOUIS, MO
Left Bank Books
399 N Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri
7:00 PM
Information: Left Bank
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
HOUSTON, TX
Murder by the Book
2342 Bissonett Street, Houston, Texas
6:30 PM
Information: Murder Books
Thursday, May 3, 2012
PHOENIX, AZ
Poisoned Pen
4014 N Goldwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, Arizona
7:00 PM
Information: Poisoned Pen
Friday, Mar 4, 2012
DENVER, CO
Tattered Cover
2526 E Colfax Avenue, Denver, Colorado
7:30 PM
Information: Tattered Cover
Monday, May 7, 2012
SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Asian Art Museum/Elliott Bay Books
Stimson Auditorium, 1400 E Prospect (in Volunteer Park), Seattle, Washington
7:00 PM
Information: Elliott Bay Book
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
PORTLAND, OR
Powell’s Books/Cedar Hills
3415 SW Cedar Hills Boulevard, Beaverton, Oregon
7:00 PM
Information: Powells
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
BERKELEY, CA
Books Inc in Berkeley
1760 Fourth Street, Berkeley, California
7:00 PM
Information: Books Inc.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
CORTE MADERA, CA
Book Passage Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, California
7:00 PM
Information: Book Passage
Posted: April 17th, 2012 | 9 Comments »
“MIDNIGHT IN PEKING†BY PAUL FRENCH
TO BECOME A MAJOR TV DRAMA SERIES
RIGHTS TO PENGUIN CHINA TITLE SOLD TO KUDOS TELEVISION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, LONDON, APRIL 16, 2012:
The international publishing company Penguin is pleased to announce the sale of television serial rights to Midnight in Peking by Paul French to Kudos Television, producers of “Spooks”, for adaptation into a major international TV mini-series.
“Midnight in Peking” tells the true story of the previously unsolved murder of British teenager Pamela Werner in January, 1937. On the eve of the Japanese invasion of the Chinese city, the international community was living out its final days in denial, believing life could never change. Then, the body of Pamela Werner was discovered, dumped beneath the desolate Fox Tower. One of their own, she was the daughter of a retired diplomat and renowned Sinologist, and her death shook the tightly knit society to its core. When police investigations inevitably turned to the foreign pleasure dens selling opium, girls, and blue movies in the Peking Badlands, the British authorities quickly closed ranks, allowing the culprit to escape into the maelstrom of World War II.
In a truly stunning work of meticulous research, Paul French has woven a rich tapestry of the end of an era in old China, and uncovered the murderer behind this terrible crime. Jo Lusby, Managing Director, Penguin China, who initially acquired the book for publication, said: “Midnight in Peking reveals a period of China’s recent international history that is largely ignored. With its jazz halls, opium dens, and colourful cast of characters, this is a book that is ideally suited for television adaptation, and I am thrilled that a company of the caliber of Kudos Television has taken it on with such commitment and enthusiasm.”
Jane Featherstone, Chief Executive of Kudos Television, said: “We are incredibly excited about bringing this extraordinary story to screen. Midnight in Peking has the kind of scale and landscape rarely seen on television and our ambition is to create an outstanding, distinctive, mini-series made with the highest-profile talent and cinematic production values. This story is so immersive, layered, gripping, and full of truly startling reveals that it naturally lends itself to the longer story format that television uniquely offers.”
Already a #1 bestseller in Asia, Midnight in Peking will be published by Penguin in the US on April 21 2012, followed by the UK on May 31. Publishing rights have already been sold for the Italian and Norwegian languages.
Midnight in Peking by Paul French
ISBN INFORMATION
China: 9780670080922 Australia: 9780143567523 USA: 9780143121008 UK: 9780670921072
For more information, please contact Abi Howell (abi.howell@cn.penguingroup.com) at Penguin China publicity, or Sue Swift (sswift@kudosfilmandtv.com) at Kudos Television.
Notes for Editors
About Penguin Books
Penguin is one of the world’s leading consumer publishers. It is home to other famous names such as Dorling Kindersley, Puffin, Ladybird and Rough Guides and publishes close to 4,000 titles every year for adults and children in fiction and non-fiction, from timeless classics to the hottest bestsellers. Penguin has offices in 15 countries including the US, UK, Australia, South Africa, India and China.
About Penguin China
Penguin China was established in 2005, and works to develop the availability of English language imported books from the UK and US, establishes Chinese language publishing partnerships, and acquires 5-8 titles per year on and from China for international publication. Authors include Wang Xiaofang, He Jiahong, Paul French, Liu Heung-Shing and Karen Smith, among others. Titles are translations from Chinese and originally written in English and include both fiction and non-fiction.
Posted: April 16th, 2012 | No Comments »
Books on opium just keep on coming and all, of course, have a China angle – this one too, though by a medical man interestingly, apparently does its share of discussing opium and the “yellow peril”…as ever blurb and cover below…
Opium and its derivatives morphine and heroin have destroyed, corrupted, and killed individuals, families, communities, and even whole nations. And yet, for most of its long history, opium has also been humanity’s most effective means of alleviating physical and mental pain. This extraordinary book encompasses the entire history of the world’s most fascinating drug, from the first evidence of poppy cultivation by stone-age man to the present-day opium trade in Afghanistan. Dr. Thomas Dormandy tells the story with verve and insight, uncovering the strange power of opiates to motivate major conflicts yet also inspire great art and medical breakthroughs, to trigger the rise of global criminal networks yet also revolutionize attitudes toward wellbeing. “Opium: Reality’s Dark Dream” traverses the globe and the centuries, exploring opium’s role in colonialism, the Chinese Opium Wars, laudanum-inspired sublime Romantic poetry, American “Yellow Peril” fears, the rise of the Mafia and the black market, 1960s counterculture, and more. Dr. Dormandy also recounts exotic or sad stories of individual addiction. Throughout the book, the author emphasizes opium’s complex, valuable relationship with developments in medicine, health, and disease, highlighting the perplexing dual nature of the drug as both the cause and relief of great suffering in widely diverse civilizations.
About the Author
Thomas Dormandy, MD, is consultant chemical pathologist and retired professor of chemical pathology at the Whittington Hospital, University of London, and Brunel University, London. He is the author of the prize-winning book The White Death: A History of Tuberculosis (1998) and The Worst of Evils: The Fight Against Pain, published by Yale in 2006.
Posted: April 16th, 2012 | No Comments »
Sorry for last minute posting but I think was organised at the last minute…still…should be interesting. Perhaps offering “Happy Hour” drinks was not overly appropriate, or perhaps it was, as the Heywood story (not sure why wrong spelling below from the FCC?) has perked up the usual otherwise dull Chinese politics scene…Hacks!! gotta love ’em…
The Shanghai Foreign Correspondents Club Presents
“Dead Brits in China: Poisons, Other Departures and Responsesâ€
Robert Bickers
Neil Heyward’s untimely death in Chongqing has been making headlines around
the world in recent weeks. Â Distinguished UK Professor Robert Bickers will
put that tragedy into historical perspective, providing colorful and
well-informed insight into the mysterious deaths in China of other British and
foreign nationals from days past and the responses to themFirst Floor, 11 Dongping Rd (at the intersection of Hengshan Rd)
Venue Details: Sasha’s
First Floor, 11 Dongping Rd (at the intersection of Hengshan Rd)
Time: Monday, April 16th, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Admission: Free for members and non-members; enjoy Sasha’s Happy Hour prices
RSVP: fcc.sfcc@gmail.com
About the Speaker:
Robert Bickers is a professor of history at the University of Bristol. Â His books include: “The Scramble for China: Foreign devils in the Qing empire”, and “Empire Made Me: An Englishman Adrift in Shanghai”.
Posted: April 16th, 2012 | 17 Comments »
A book I noticed on Xlibris – a bit worrying as I assume being published by Xlibris means it couldn’t get published anywhere else. Anyway Little was an interesting character who does deserve a biography as his life covered an interesting time for foreigners in China. I don’t know why it’s called anything quite as grand as Colossus Unsung though!
Edward Selby Little was an extraordinary Victorian who lived through the reign of four monarchs and affected events on three continents. The loose cannon feared by all administrations, he faced down Chinese bandits and British bureaucrats alike to change the course of history. Yet, incredibly, his legacy is almost unheard of, his story untold. Truly, until now, a colossus unsung. The author is an award-winning journalist and investigative reporter who spent several years researching the life of this incredible character.
Posted: April 16th, 2012 | No Comments »
I’ll be at London Book Fair Monday to Wednesday next week and attending some of the Chinese-related events (China is featured country this year) as well as being at the Zed Books Alternative Voices on China party on Tuesday evening.
If you’re at London Book Fair do look me up and come along to the Zed party on Tuesday night if you’re in Bloomsbury
