I was asked by the Foreign policy magazine to recommend two or three novels that give a sense of place. below is my selection. To Live by Yu Hua The novel chronicles the life of Xu Fugui (the given name, ironically, means ‘fortunate and noble’), filled with tragedies. It opens with Fugui, a son of… Continue reading Chinese novels that give a sense of place

Books Headed to Rio, Paris, or Cape Town this summer? We asked distinguished writers and thinkers to pick their favorite books about 20 of the world’s great cities. BY BRITT PETERSON JULY 1, 2016 Ever wondered what a list of Foreign Policy summer reads would include? Wonks and geeks, look no further. Come for Balzac’s… Continue reading Around the World in 40 Books – compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine

Amitav Ghosh A window into the new China: Lijia Zhang’s ‘Lotus’ Chrestomather | July 3, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments (0) I first met Lijia Zhang in 2010, at a literary event in Beijing. She had then recently published a memoir (Socialism is Great!’ A Worker’s Memoir of The New China, 2008) about her extraordinary… Continue reading Amitav Gosh’s glowing review of my debut novel ‘Lotus’ in his website