WHAT GETS AWARDED

The Man Asian Literary Prize has lived through its share of controversy. When the award was announced, Nury Vittachi rightly questioned the decision. This morning while researching an interview for Off The Shelf, I came across this story that I'd run way back in 2005, September 23rd to be precise:

The Penguin Group has purchased the English-language rights to China's best-selling novel, 'The Wolf Totem,' for a record US$100,000.

First-time author Jiang Rong's 2004 Chinese-language novel life on the Mongolian grasslands will be published in English in 2007. 'The Wolf Totem,' has already sold more than 1 million copies and topped best-seller lists for months.

Apart from critics, the meticulously researched, semi-autobiographical tale has been widely hailed by Chinese businessmen as well. They see in its accounts of the wolf pack's hunting, stalking and killing, a metaphor for survival and success in the corporate world.

A million and counting, you can carry on counting the number of times Nury's been right.

BYRON - THE PICTURE TALE

When you spend so much time training your eye on the lens, you often forget about yourself. When you head back that's when it hits you that you've got pictures of the dog, cat, sun, moon, stars and practically nothing to remember your fine moments by. That's when festival directors like the turbo charged Jeni Caffin dig deep to pull out shots like these. The shots are courtesy Rosie Lee, who I'm pretty certain spent a lot more time behind the camera than I did.

On the opening night with Nury Vittachi, Irina Dunn and Elizabeth Fallon:


With Lynda Dean:

Keep an eye on her. The enormously talented Jane Camens is soon to announce details of the Asia-Pacific New Writing Partnership. She's had me all ears and abuzz with excitement:

Making sense of the media circus with Elizabeth Best, James Phelan and Nury Vittachi. Actor and Author Barbara Ewing was there as well, just happens to be missing in this shot.

I'm put in a plastic chair to ensure I'm not just a piece of furniture in the discussion on the art of chairing a panel.

Does this spell the end?