Wang Xiaoli
The Festival was started by Michelle Garnaut, Jenny Laing Peach and Tina Kanagaratnam in 2003 and attracts authors from around the world and at home in China, for a celebration of the best in fiction, literary non-fiction, journalism, poetry and children’s writing. Activities include interactive forums, sessions in other languages such as Mandarin, Italian and French, as well as popular sessions with well-known writers including Man Booker Prize winners John Banville, Allan Hollinghurst, Thomas Keneally, Kiran Desai and Anne Enright. The Festival has hosted such celebrities as Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Amy Tan, Jan Morris, Shirley Hazzard and the legendary Gore Vidal, as well as sessions with well respected and established writers such as Ma Jian, Christopher Kremmer, John Man, Anna Funder, Simon Winchester and Hari Kunzru as well as participation from emerging authors such as Guo Xiaolu, Wang Xiaoli, Priya Basil, James Bradley, Kunal Basu and Mishi Saran.