Why I Write
Tuesday, 27 July 2010 08:07
Written by Emma Chi

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George Orwell wrote an essay entitled Why I Write detailing the reasons why he put pen to paper. In this, our continuing Web series, we talk to China authors about their literary habits and reading preferences, and examine Orwell's question which lies at the heart of being an author – why they write

Murong Xuecun is one of China's most famous novelists, celebrated for his poetic explorations of the dark side of contemporary urban China. After his 2002 internet novel Leave Me Alone: A Novel of Chengdu (Chengdu, Jin Ye Qing Jiang Wo Yiwang) took China by storm, Murong gave up his job and devoted himself to writing full time. His most recent novel, Dancing Through Red Dust (Hong Chen Dian Dao), a controversial tale of corruption in legal circles, was published in 2008. Earlier this year Murong ignited a media storm after helping to bust a pyramid scheme in rural Jiangxi province where he had worked under cover for 23 days as research for a new book. Leave Me Alone: A Novel of Chengdu is his first novel to be translated into English.

*His answers were translated from Chinese.

Why do you write?

Many reasons. I write to feed myself; I write for vanity, writing satisfies my vanity. And sometimes I feel responsible to write down the things and people I see; but more often it’s for my own desire. Through writing, I am able to create a new fictional world, everything is controlled by me, which is very enjoyable.

Why I Write
Thursday, 15 July 2010 04:07
Written by JFK Miller

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In 1946, George Orwell wrote an essay entitled Why I Write detailing the reasons why he put pen to paper. In this, our continuing Web series, we talk to China authors about their literary habits and reading preferences, and examine Orwell's question which lies at the heart of being an author – why they write

Mina Hanbury-Tenison is the author of Shanghai Girls Uncensored & Unsentimental: How To Marry Up and Stay There, an irreverent relationships guide based on conversations with her Shanghai girl-friend Lan Lan. Before moving to Shanghai five years ago with her husband and two children, Mina worked in Los Angeles writing screenplays. In addition to her works of fiction, she has written articles and essays about her experiences in China for the South China Morning Post, China International Business, the Financial Times and Oriental Outlook. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in Literature.

Why I Write
Saturday, 03 July 2010 11:07
Written by JFK Miller, Photo by Joseph Mehling

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In 1946, George Orwell wrote an essay entitled Why I Write detailing the reasons why he put pen to paper. In this, our continuing Web series, we talk to China authors about their literary habits and reading preferences, and examine Orwell's question which lies at the heart of being an author – why they write

Professor Pamela Crossley is an historian of modern China, specializing in the Qing Dynasty, at Dartmouth College. Her latest book, The Wobbling Pivot: China since 1800: An Interpretive History, was published in February.

Why I Write
Monday, 28 June 2010 01:06
Written by JFK Miller

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In our continuing Web series we talk to authors writing in or about the Middle Kingdom about their literary habits, preferences and peculiarities and examine the question at the heart of being an author – why they write

Hong Kong-based Norwegian Cecilie Gamst Berg is the author Blonde Lotus which was published in English and Norwegian in 2006. She has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong, Norway and Beijing and currently keeps two blogs. She presently works for RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) making weekly radio programs about Cantonese and, for the last two years, has been engaged in film making, putting her Cantonese course on YouTube as well as making documentaries about people's daily lives in Hong Kong.

Why I Write
Tuesday, 22 June 2010 02:06
Written by JFK Miller

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In our continuing Web series we talk to authors writing in or about the Middle Kingdom about their literary habits, preferences and peculiarities and examine the question at the heart of being an author – why they write

James Farrer was born in Georgia and grew up in Tennessee. He made his first big escape from the American South to Germany as an exchange student, and just kept going, ending up in Taiwan in1988. Altogether he lived all but five of the past 22 years in Asia. He received a PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago in 1998, and is Professor of Sociology at Sophia University in Tokyo. He is author of over 30 articles and chapters and a book on Chinese sexual culture entitled Opening Up: Youth Sex Culture and Market Reform in Shanghai.