The Price of Tomorrow – Dong Xi in Conversation with Jenny Niven
31 July 2024, 4 - 6 pm
Abden House, University of Edinburgh, EH16 5HP
Language – Chinese with English Consecutive interpretation
Join us for an exclusive pre-launch event hosted by Jenny Niven in discussion with the author Dong Xi as they discuss his upcoming novel Fate Rewritten. Held in collaboration with The Confucius Institute for Scotland at The University of Edinburgh, we’re thrilled to invite you to this exciting event.
ABOUT THE BOOK
For generations, Wang Changchi’s family have dreamed of escaping their poverty-striken village. When a twist of fate takes his chance away, he joins the hordes of migrant workers risking their lives for a shot at city life. Still hoping for a reversal of fortune, will he risk it all for one more chance to bring success to his family line?
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Dong Xi is the pen name of Tian Dailin. Born in Guangxi Province, Chinese critics include him among the “New Generation” of writers. Notable works include the novels Record of Regret and Fate Rewritten, as well as the novella Life without Language, which won the Lu Xun Literary Award. He is Writer in Residence at the Guangxi University for Nationalities.
Jenny Niven joined the Book Festival in September 2023. Prior to this, she was founder and Director of the award-winning Push The Boat Out, a festival of poetry, spoken word and language; Executive Producer of Dandelion, an epic programme of sowing, growing and sharing across Scotland, and chair of Literature Alliance Scotland, the national membership organisation for books and publishing. She was named in The List’s ‘Hot 100’ people influencing Scotland’s art’s and cultural landscape in 2022. In previous roles, she has led the literature and publishing team as Head of Literature at Creative Scotland, executive produced the Edinburgh International Culture Summit, led on the creation of the Muriel Spark 100 centenary celebrations, was Head of Programme/Associate Director at the Wheeler Centre for Books Writing & Ideas, Melbourne, and co-founded Beijing’s first book festival.
ABOUT SINOIST BOOKS
Sinoist Books is a UK-based independent press that publishes only the best in translated Chinese literature and contemporary fiction. Our mission is to act as a bridge between the Chinese and English-speaking worlds, so that the best Sinophone authors and their works can transcend the language barrier. We believe that literature is a summation of the struggles, aspirations and ideals of the authors, and only by appreciating them can we truly achieve a deeper level of understanding.
ABOUT THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE FOR SCOTLAND
The Confucius Institute for Scotland in the University of Edinburgh is a national centre promoting educational and cultural ties between Scotland and China. Set up with Sino-Scottish Government backing and partnered with Fudan University the institute was established in 2006, the first in Scotland. One of several hundreds of Confucius Institutes around the world, its main remit is to promote awareness and knowledge of Chinese language and culture.
About Dong Xi
Dong Xi, also known as Tian Dai Lin, is a Chinese, multi-award-winning author with notable works including the novels Echo, Resounding Slap, Record of Regret, and Altered Destiny. The novel Echo was awarded the 11th Mao Dun Literary Prize and his novella Life Without Words received the inaugural Lu Xun Literary Prize. The film adaptation titled Lover in the Sky, based on the same novel, was also very successful, winning the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 15th Tokyo International Film Festival. Several of his works have been adapted into television dramas and his writings have been published and then translated into multiple languages. Dong Xi now currently serves as a professor at Guangxi University for Nationalities.
