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Bookworm Happenings 2005 – 2006
Abrahamsen, Eric
Aldrich, Michael
Beal, Tim
Becker, Jasper
Bell, Daniel
Bidini, Dave
Bonner, Nick
Brahm, Lawrence J
Brooks, Geraldine
Brown, Lester
Chang, Gordon
Chun Shu
Cotter, David
Crow, Dennis George
Elegant, Robert
Fan Wu
Flannery,Tim
Fratti, Mario
Freidman Thomas
French, Paul
Gargan, Edward
Gaita, Raymond
Gao Xiaolu 
Gao Hodges, Graham Russell
Gifford, Rob
Goodall, Dr Jane
Graddol, David
Griffith, Firth
Gray, Nathan Hotorua
Harkness, James
Harris Rees, Charlotte
Hartnett, Sonya
Hessler, Peter
Howie, Fraser
Jocelyn, Ed
Kedl, Kent
Kesey, Roy
Kynge, James
Lanfranco, Ed
Larmer, Brook
Lui Gang
Logan, Pamela
Lynton, Ronnie
Macleod, Calum
McGregor, James
Ma Jian
Marchetta, Melina
McEwen, Andrew
Menzies, Gavin
Niven, Liz
Nombri, Sir Joseph
Opium Literary Magazine
Phathanothai, Sirin
Pilkington, Doris
Pomfret John
Rittenberg Sidney
Robinson, Eric
Rogers, Benedict
Sampson, Catherine
Saran, Mishi
Schafer, Nathaly
Schell, Orville
Sun Shuyun
Smith, Karen
Spindler, David
Trebach, Arnold S
Willcocks, Sir David
Williams, Adam
Willoughby, Anthony
Xinran
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Abrahamsen, Eric
The Essays of George Orwell
January 10th 2007
As part of our series of Penguin Classics Literary Lunches, writer and translator Eric Abrahamsen explores the essays and polemic of the great George Orwell. Describing Orwell’s zero tolerance for sloppy language and political doublespeak, Abrahamsen makes fresh observations on the relevance of Orwell’s work for China.
Becker, Jasper
North Korea: Rogue Regime
October 18th 2005
Veteran correspondent Jasper Becker (The Chinese, Hungry Ghosts, Dragon Rising) brings his unique insight and vast experience as a journalist in Asia to bear in his latest book, this time exposing the fascinating world of the hermit kingdom, North Korea. North Korea: Rogue Regime explores life for the world’s most isolated citizens, investigates the life of Kim Jong Il, and poses the ultimate question: should the nations of the world allow this regime to survive?
Brooks, Geraldine
March
June 28th 2006
A matter of weeks after being awarded this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Bookworm are delighted to play host to writer Geraldine Brooks. Having served as a war correspondent in some of the world’s most conflict-ravaged areas, and now a respected commentator for the New York Times, the standard of Brooks’ fiction clearly matches that of her journalism. Tonight Bookworm audiences are treated to a reading from her prize winning novel March, which takes as it’s inspiration the character of Mr March from Louisa May Alcott’s much-loved Little Women.
Brown, Lester
Plan B
June 30th 2006
Author Lester Brown, founder of the Worldwatch Institute and head of the Earth Policy Institute, makes a special Bookworm appearance to discuss his new book, Plan B : Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilisation in Trouble. As well as highlighting the terrible things we’re doing to our planet, Lester Brown also provides helpful, practical approaches and solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the environment today.
Chang, Gordon
North Korea: Nuclear Showdown
March 14th 2006
Asia expert Gordon Chang follows up his controversial success, The Coming Collapse of China, with the first book to discuss the full extent of the North Korean nuclear threat, its origins, international implications, and possible solutions.
Clissold, Tim
Mr China
February 21st 2006
The ultimate ‘How Not To Do Business in China’ book, Mr China is Tim Clissold’s account of the exhilirating highs and barely believable lows of one of the first joint venture companies to attempt to break the Chinese market. A mix of adventure, farce and high finance, Mr China tells the story of a Wall Street banker, an ex Red guard and an optimistic Englishman who invested – and lost – nearly $400 million dollars in the space of a few short, but life-changing years.
Fan Wu
February Flowers
September 12th 2006
Fan Wu represents a new wave of Chinese writers living and working overseas but drawing on their formative years in China as inspiration for fresh, lively and necessary writing. Her first novel, February Flowers was chosen by Pan Macmillan as the novel to launch their brand new publishing imprint, Picador Asia, headed up by Toby Eadie, best known for bringing Chinese writers such as Jung Chang and Xinran to international audiences.
Friedman, Thomas
The World is Flat
12th November 2006
Foreign Affairs columnist for The New York Times, Thomas Friedman is a world renowned commentator on the forces political, cultural and economic that are changing and shaping the world as we know it. Thrice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, he discusses his prize winning book ‘The World is Flat’ (Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year 2005) with Bookworm audiences.
Gao Hodges, Graham Russell
"Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend"
A Booktalk by Graham Russell Gao Hodges
16th January 2007
Anna May Wong was a massive star of stage and screen from the 1920’s until her premature death in the late 1960’s. Glamorous, exotic and a ruthless self promoter, she was the ultimate Hollywood woman, starring alongside the likes of Anthony Quinn, Marlene Dietrich and Lawrence Olivier. However, abject racism in Hollywood, and derision from her fellow Chinese countrymen for the stereotypical Asian female image she was accused of portraying meant she struggled throughout her life, and fell into obscurity after her death. A fascinating look at the life of the first Asian woman on the silver screen, as described in a meticulously researched biography. This evening, Graham Hodges brings an array of Anna May memorabilia, including a clip from her classic film ‘Piccadilly’.
Gray, Nathan Hotorua
First Pass Under Heaven
23rd November 2006
Nathan Gray was part of a five man team who attempted the dizzying feat of walking the length of the Great Wall in 2004. His book, First Pass Under Heaven, describes their fascinating adventure, which eventually included everything from being struck by lightning to being held in police custody. Tonight he reads excerpts from First Pass, as well as inviting some Maori friends along to bless the evening’s proceedings…
Jocelyn, Ed
The Long March
December 2006
In 2003, Ed Jocelyn and Andy McEwen walked the entire trail followed by the 5th Red Army in 1934. Famously arduous, and spanning somewhere in the region of 5000km, the journey was certainly not for the faint hearted. Begun as a social history project to interview veterans of the original Communist Long March, Ed and Andy’s journey became first a sensational story in the Chinese media, and then a successful book, published in the UK by Constable and Robinson. But while Andy promoted the book, Ed was off completing ‘The Long March 2’ – exploring the routes taken by the less famous red armies during the 1930’s. Tonight he describes his second long march, which this time brought him into contact with many of the ethnic minorities who live in China’s remote Western regions.
Kynge, James
China Shakes the World
March 2006
Winner of the Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year 2006, China Shakes the World has quickly risen to the top of the list of ‘China must reads’ for anyone interested in the political and social future of China, and the impact its unstoppable rise is having on everyone else. Financial Times correspondent and seasoned China-watcher James Kynge is an essential voice in the debat – not to be missed!
Ma Jian
29th August 2006
Outspoken, challenging and charming, Ma Jian is one of the most strident voices in Chinese writing today. Now resident in London, his previous work (Red Dust, The Noodlemaker) has caused controversy in China since he began writing in the late 1980’s. Tonight he reads from Stick Out Your Tongue, a collection of short stories set in contemporary Tibet. By turns shocking, hilarious and bitingly satirical, Stick Out Your Tongue is classic Ma Jian, and a highlight on our literary calendar.
McEwen, Andrew
The Long March
May 2006
In 2003, Ed Jocelyn and Andy McEwen walked the entire trail followed by the 5th Red Army in 1934. Famously arduous, and spanning somewhere in the region of 5000km, the journey was certainly not for the faint hearted. Begun as a social history project to interview veterans of the original Communist Long March, Ed and Andy’s journey became first a sensational story in the Chinese media, and then a successful book, published in the UK by Constable and Robinson. Andy describes their journey, and shows some of the amazing archive of photos and footage they collated over their year-long odyssey.
McGregor, James
One Billion Customers
October 11th 2005
As former The Wall Street Journal China bureau chief turned successful corporate executive James McGregor explains, nothing about doing business in China is easy. One Billion Customers shows how to navigate the often treacherous waters of Chinese deal making. Brilliantly written by an author who has lived in China for nearly two decades, the book reveals indispensable, street-smart strategies, tactics, and lessons for succeeding in the world’s fastest growing consumer market.
Pilkington, Doris
Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence
September 11th 2005
Doris Pilkington (Nugi Garimara) was born on Balfour Downs Station in Western Australia. As a toddler she was removed by authorities from her home, along with her mother Molly Craig and baby sister, and committed to Moore River Native Settlement, the same institution Molly had escaped from ten years previously, the story of which is told in Pilkington’s Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence. Internationally acclaimed, and filmed as ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ in 2002, Doris Pilkington’s story is by turns touching and shocking.
Pomfret, John
Chinese Lessons
October 10th 2006
A rare opportunity to hear from John Pomfret, an award winning journalist currently firmly positioned at the top of the hotlist of China commentators. John Pomfret came to China to study at Nanjing University in 1981. Immersing himself in Chinese society and culture, he gained a unique insight into China at a time when few foreigners had the opportunity. His brand new book, ‘Chinese Lessons’, published in August this year, tells the stories of his classmates at Nan Da, recounting how their lives have been shaped by the rise of ‘new China’ over the past thirty years.
Rittenberg, Sidney
The Man Who Stayed Behind
October 25th 2006
In China from World War Two until the eve of the economic reforms at the end of the 1970’s, Sidney Rittenberg saw the change and development of China throughout three and a half turbulent decades as no other foreigner could. Member of the Communist party, translator to Mao, and eventually a political prisoner, Rittenberg endured unbelievable hardship, whilst maintaining an unshakeable faith in China and the Chinese people. This talk represents a unique opportunity to hear from a truly remarkable ‘old China hand.’
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