When Amitav Ghosh, a renowned Indian novelist, was writing his Ibis trilogy, he would start his day with a pot of green tea whilst listening to a Cantonese tape. This was how far the author was willing to go in preparation for his epic novels. His effort has been handsomely rewarded. Sea of Poppies, the… Continue reading My review of ‘Sea of Poppies’ by Amitav Gosh

Some six weeks ago, I received an email, out of blue, from Rossiya Segodnya in Russia, inviting me to attend to a global conference on journalism in early June in Moscow. I did a bit of research and discovered it is a proper state-owned media group. I thought why not. I love Russian literature and… Continue reading a conference in Moscow graced by Putin

Remembering and Forgetting Repression in China Jeffrey Wasserstrom June 2, 2016Hong Kongers take part in an annual commemoration of the Tiananmen Square massacre, June 4, 2013 (Bandari Lei / Flickr) When the anniversary of 1989’s June 4 Massacre arrives later this week, it will provide its annual reminder of a basic fact about contemporary China:… Continue reading An excellent piece about commemorating important historical events