Asia House, London, in partnership with the Bagri Foundation, is in the first few days of
its annual Literature Festival. Now in its ninth year, this is the only UK
Festival dedicated to pan-Asian writing and will include talks from some of the
most exciting names in literature, including Turkey’s bestselling author Elif Şafak, and
one of South Korea’s most important modern writers, Hwang Sok-yong.
British-Chinese
author Xinran launched her new book Buy Me The Sky: The Remarkable Truth Of
China’s One-Child Generations on the opening day of the Festival – I met
her in Singapore yesterday, and she told me her launch clashed with the UK
General Election, so she was worried nobody would turn up, but in fact the event
was a sell-out!
It
is fitting that Xinran’s new book was featured, because it is an invitation to listen to the voices of some of China’s only children, and at the
core of this year’s programme is an exploration of youth, with an in-depth look
at the important issues affecting the current generation across the globe. Gender
is another big theme: the Festival will examine the issue of women’s
historical involvement in suffrage movements, and introduce Nepal’s child
goddesses. There will also be discussions of forbidden love, and of migration and displacement.
Anuradha Roy will
launch her new book Sleeping on Jupiter and be in conversation with Claire
Armitstead, books editor for UK newspapers The
Guardian and Observer.
Food
and travel writer Jeff Koehler will
take an alternative perspective on Asian culture, launching his book Darjeeling: The Colourful History
and Precarious Fate of the World’s Greatest Tea.
Amanda Lee Koe, winner of the Singapore Literature Prize, will be discussing her short story collection, Ministry of Moral Panic.
Soon after
the Festival has finished, Asia House will be hosting an event with Amitav Ghosh, who
will be discussing his new novel, Flood
of Fire.
Jemimah Steinfeld, Asia House Bagri Foundation Literature
Festival Manager, said
of this year’s programme: “2015 is set to be one of our most diverse festivals
to date, packed full of fresh voices and new perspectives, alongside some of
the most esteemed and established writers from across Asia. The programme
invites attendees to really think about the world around them and how it is
being shaped in the here and now.”
The
Festival will run from 7 – 18 May, 2015 and all events will take place at Asia
House, which is just off Oxford Street in central London. I am currently investigating
how readers in Asia can participate via social media. For more information
about the Festival and to see the full programme of events, click here.
