Reviews

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-08 11:00

8 in the run for Fu Lei award

Eight finalists for the 2009 Fu Lei Book Prize were announced last Friday. A jury panel comprising five French and five Chinese translators, authors and scholars, picked the eight from 39 books published last year by 26 publishing houses. They span a range of genres - from poetry, essays and novels to academic works on history, anthropology and architecture.

Organized by the French Embassy in China, the Fu Lei Book Prize aims to promote the translation and publication of French books in China. The annual prize will be given for the first time in November, with 8,000 euros ($11,410) to be shared between translator and publisher.

The prize is named after Fu Lei (1908-66), a Chinese translator and art critic, best known for his translations of Voltaire, Balzac and Romain Rolland. His letters to his son Fou Ts'ong, a world-renowned pianist, is a bestseller.

Happy hens

Reviews

The Little Hens (Les P'tites Poules) series are well-loved children's books by French writer Christian Jolibois and illustrator Christian Heinrich. Nine of these books have been published since 1997 and a tenth is slated to come out this year.

The books feature a little hen Carmela who is unwilling to lay eggs and is eager to see the sea. Her children Carmelito and Carmen share with her the same adventurous spirit.

The series has brought laughter to millions of children aged 2 to 12, and even their parents. Heinrich's brightly-colored illustrations have engaged the curiosity of young readers who find some new detail or the other, every time they read the book.

The 21st Century Publishing House based in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, released the books' Chinese version in 2006, to overwhelming response in the children's book market. The Chinese publisher celebrated the book's two-million copies sale at last week's 16th Beijing Book Fair.

China's 'image polisher' speaks

Dialogue Between Nations - Speeches by Zhao Qizheng (Foreign Language Press) is a collection of 35 speeches of, and dialogues between, Zhao Qizheng and world leaders on diplomacy and cross-cultural communication.

The former Minister of the Information Office of the State Council is widely acclaimed for presenting China to the world and has been hailed by the international media as China's "top PR spokesman", "first-rate orator" and "image polisher".

Zhao's new book not only shows his knowledge as a new-generation spokesman for the Chinese government, but also conveys China's basic policy of peaceful coexistence, equal exchange with other nations, and active engagement with the international community.

Zhao's previous books, such as Riverside Talks - a Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian (coauthored with Dr Luis Palau) have been translated into multiple languages.

An immigrant's story

Reviews

Chinese-American Carol Cheung (Zhang Yongxia) is as adept at writing as at business.

As a recipient of the 2004 "Businesswoman of the Year" award given by the US Business Advisory Council, and a recognized overseas author by the Chinese Writers Association, Cheung has a unique understanding of "the American Dream".

In her newly released book Stories of America published by China Financial Economic Publishing House in Chinese, Cheung says she would like to dedicate the book to all Chinese as a handbook on America.

Cheung shares her views on a country she migrated to 30 years ago and details not just Chinese immigrant stories but also American culture, economics and history.

Her insights into American business enrich the storytelling, presenting a mosaic of an immigrant's world, which may also help Americans understand how they are viewed from a Chinese perspective.