Preview: SILF Week 2

This evening will see the second week of the Shanghai International Literary Festival kicking off down at M on the Bund. Events will continue across the weekend and throughout the week, providing plenty of opportunities to see a whole host of great writers and performers. Ticket details can be found here as can the full line-up (which we suggest you check - there's far too much going on for us to cover it all in one post!). Below are just some of the highlights you can expect to see:

Basil Pao - Today, 5:30pm
Having taken photos for Michael Palin’s travel programmes on the BBC and worked as an Assistant Director on Bernado Bertolucci’s film The Last Emperor (in which he also played Pu Yi’s father), Basil Pao will discuss his wanderings throughout China and his new book China Revealed.

Christopher Koch – Saturday, 11am
Best known for his novel The Year of Living Dangerously, which was later made into a film starring Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver, this Australian author has written at length about a number of Asian countries and will talk about his travel experiences and how they have shaped his writing.

Fatima Bhutto - Saturday, 3pm
On International Women's Day, one of the most outspoken critics of Pakistan's "dynastic politics", Fatima Bhutto (Benazir was her aunt by the way), will focus on the current upheaval in her country and her hopes for its future.

Paul Andreu – Sunday, 12noon
The architect behind many of China’s new landmark buildings – Pu Dong airport, the Beijing Opera House, and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre to name but a few – Paul Andreu will provide a fascinating insight into some of China’s most famous architectural developments in recent years.

Arundhati Roy & Pankaj Mishra – Sunday, 5:30pm
This meeting between two of India’s most prominent writers promises to be one of the highlights of this year’s festival. Internationally renowned novelist-turned-political-writer Arundhati Roy will talk to journalist and author Pankaj Mishra about modern day India and the challenges it faces.

More information here