Australian Writers Week kicks off in Beijing

Australian Ambassador to China Jan Adams announces the opening of the 12th Australian Writers Week in Beijing on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. [Photo: China Plus/Leiying]

12th Australian Writers Week kicks off in China.

From March 20-27, Australian authors Graeme Simsion, Julie Koh, Morris Gleitzman and Richard Fidler will meet both Chinese writers and readers across nine cities in the country: Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Foshan, Xi'an, Hong Kong and Taipei.

"The sharing of Australian stories will no doubt give more Chinese people further perspective on contemporary Australia, and likewise, give our guest authors a chance to better understand contemporary Chinese literature and publishing," said Australian Ambassador to China Jan Adams.

12th Australian Writers Week kicks off in Beijing on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. It provides the Chinese public a valuable opportunity to engage with Australian writers. [Photo: China Plus/Leiying]

The annual event brings diverse Australian literary voices to China. Morris Gleitzman is a bestselling children's author, while Julie Koh is a short story writer of Chinese-Malaysian descent. Graeme Simsion is a best-selling author whose newest novel, The Rosie Result, recently debuted at No. 1 among fiction novels in Australia. Richard Fidler is a well-known presenter on ABC Radio and the author of two best-selling non-fiction books.