This Week in Asian Review of Books

Asian Books Blog is not a review site. If you want reviews, see the Asian Review of Books. Here is a list of its newest reviews, excerpts, essays, and round ups:

A Burmese Heart excerpt by Tinsa Maw-Naing and YMV Han  
Climate Change Governance in Chinese Cities by Qianqing Mai and Maria Francesch-Huidobro reviewed by Mark L. Clifford
Revising US Grand Strategy Towards China by Ashley Tellis and Robert D Blackwell reviewed by Kerry Brown
The Eagle and the Dragon: Globalization and European Dreams of Conquest in China and America in the Sixteenth Century by Serge Gruzinski reviewed by Juan José Morales

The Sunday Post

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

Can Xue Takes Prize 

The eighth annual Best Translated Book Awards (BTBA) were announced at BookExpo America last week, with Can Xue’s The Last Lover, translated from the Chinese by Annelise Finegan Wasmoen, published by Yale University Press, taking home the award for fiction.

Indie Spotlight: Fran Pickering

Indie Spotlight is our monthly column on self-publishing. This month Raelee Chapman speaks to Fran Pickering the indie author of the popular Josie Clark East-West fusion murder mysteries. Josie is an English expat sleuth living in Tokyo where these mysteries are set.

China is Guest of Honour at BookExpo America's Global Market Forum

BookExpo America, (BEA) North America’s foremost publishing event featuring the latest in print and digital book publishing began yesterday, May 27, in New York.

China is the guest of honour for the global market forum part of the conference. The country has sent along a high ranking delegation of top publishing professionals, internationally acclaimed authors, and senior government officials in an effort to widen and deepen the cultural and business ties between the world’s two largest publishing markets.  “This is the most significant foreign delegation that we have ever hosted at America’s largest publishing convention”, said Steven Rosato, BEA’s Show Director.  "We are honoured to welcome China and we look forward to making this a rewarding experience for everyone involved."

Interview with Xinran

I recently interviewed Xinran, for Asian Review of Books. See here: China’s One-Child Policy: an Interview With Xinran by Rosie Milne.

This Week in Asian Review of Books

Asian Books Blog is not a review site. If you want reviews, see the Asian Review of Books. Here is a list of its newest reviews, essays, and round ups:

China’s One-Child Policy: an Interview With Xinran byRosie Milne
The First Firangis: Remarkable Stories of Heroes, Healers, Charlatans, Courtesans and Other Foreigners who Became Indian by Jonathan Gil Harris reviewed by John Butler
England’s Yellow Peril: Sinophobia and the Great Warby Anne Witchard reviewed by Jonathan Chatwin

The Sunday Post

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

Mao Dun Literature Prize

The Mao Dun Literary Prize (茅盾文学奖) is awarded every four years by the Chinese Writers Association. Any novel written by a Chinese national, published in mainland China, and with over 130,000 characters is eligible. If you read Chinese, click here for the full list of this year's contenders - 252 in all.  None of  the titles in contention has yet been translated into English.   For analysis in English from China literary expert Bruce Humes, click here.

Governments Make Bad Editors

PEN America has just released a report Censorship and Conscience: Foreign Authors and the Challenge of Chinese Censorship.  For full details click here. 

Indonesian Women and Local Politics: Islam, Gender and Networks in Post-Suharto Indonesia by Kurniawati Hastuti Dewi

In an important social change, female Muslim political leaders in Java have enjoyed considerable success in direct local elections following the fall of Suharto in Indonesia. Newly-published Indonesian Women and Local Politics shows that Islam, gender and social networks have been decisive in their political victories. Islamic ideas concerning female leadership provide a strong religious foundation for their political campaigns. However, their approach to women's issues shows that female leaders do not necessarily adopt a female perspective when formulating policies. This new trend of Muslim women in politics will continue to shape the growth and direction of democratisation in local politics in post-Suharto Indonesia and will colour future discourse on gender, politics and Islam in contemporary Southeast Asia.

Kurniawati Hastuti Dewi is senior researcher at the Research Center for Politics, Indonesian Institute of Sciences in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Published by NUS Press, Singapore, in paperback, USD34

*A rojak is a Singaporean salad. Like Asian Books Blog on Facebook, or follow it on Twitter: @asianbooksblog