I covered Hong Kong for decades. Now I am forced to flee China’s ‘white terror’ | Steve Vines

After 35 years, the Observer’s former correspondent is leaving as what was once a haven of liberty and peace is transformed into a police stateWhen I arrived in Hong Kong in 1987 as the Observer’s south-east Asia correspondent, the foreign editor said he saw it as being a base, not the kind of territory that would generate much news but it was a safe place to be, communications were good and I was unlikely to have any visa problems. I thought I might stay a couple of years and move on. Thirty-five years later, I have, with great sadness, moved on and no one in their right mind can possibly assert that Hong Kong is a safe place for journalists.The white terror – the term used to describe the ruthless elimination of the opposition in Taiwan following the imposition of Kuomintang rule and more recently taken up by the opposition in Hong Kong to describe similar events in the city – is relentless, swooping down not just on journalists, but on prominent opposition leaders, teachers, lawyers and, recently, speech therapists who had the temerity to write a children’s book about sheep that dared to answer back; they have been charged with subversion. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-08-08 07:00:15 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "I covered Hong Kong for decades. Now I am forced to flee China’s ‘white terror’ | Steve Vines"


Post-election, Kamala Harris’s books are more popular than ever.

Kamala Harris-related books have seen a sharp increase in popularity post-Biden/Harris presidential win. On Sunday, a whopping four books on Amazon’s Top 10 bestsellers list were either about or penned by the vice president-elect. The books in question: Harris’s memoir The Truths We Hold: An... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-10 17:37:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How to Make a Children’s Book Museum COVID-Compliant

A reader visited the Story Museum in Oxford, England to learn how the space modified its "interactive" exhibits for COVID-19 compliance. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-10-28 10:36:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Where Is Hong Kong Literature When We Need It Most?

One of my most vivid childhood memories took place in an English bookshop in Causeway Bay, a short minibus ride from my family home in Hong Kong. I was a voracious reader growing up, eyes constantly trained on any printed text available, even during dinnertime and when brushing my teeth. Intent... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-10-22 11:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Biddulph, Gray and Patel among Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award winners

Children's titles from Rob Biddulph, Kes Gray and Serena Patel are among the winners of Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards in partnership with BookTrust. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-15 18:29:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Religion Book Deals: October 14, 2020

Joni Eareckson Tada brings a children’s book about heaven to the Good Book Company, an introduction to African American literature lands at IVP, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Obituary: David Gale

Children’s book editor David Gale, who shaped a distinguished roster of award-winning titles and proudly championed works of LGBTQ literature, died on October 9 following a long illness; he was 65. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Natalie Portman’s upcoming children’s book is a collection of “gender-safe” fairy tales.

Natalie Portman knows a thing or two about fairy tales. Portman’s turn as a dancer whose life goes awry in Black Swan (2010) was, famously, a brooding take on Pyotr Tchaikovksy’s most famous ballet. Swan Lake itself was likely inspired by Russian and German folktales like Johann Karl August... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-23 16:54:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Hong Kong’s trade eyes uncertain future

The recent imposition of a new National Security Law in Hong Kong was followed by a crackdown on libraries. There are now signs that it is also affecting the work of publishers and booksellers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-11 03:19:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this


We don’t need Michael Cohen to know the truth about Trump

In April, on the first night of Passover, Michael Cohen—Donald Trump’s former fixer, who was then incarcerated at Otisville prison, in New York—took an early manuscript of a book he’d been working on, and tossed it into a fire that Orthodox inmates had built to burn leavened bread. According to... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-09-09 12:20:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Famous in Italy, Rodari Reaches U.S. Shores With ‘Telephone Tales’

The children’s book writer never caught on in America, partly because of his Communist Party ties, but the English-language release of his masterpiece could change that. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-09-05 09:00:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bonnier tunes in to Channel 4 for weatherman's children's book

Big Picture Press, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired a non-fiction children’s book from Channel 4 News weather presenter and meteorologist Liam Dutton. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-04 23:38:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Hurst snaps up book by veteran Hong Kong journalist Vines

Hurst Publishers has snapped up Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship by veteran journalist Stephen Vines. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-04 17:10:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bologna Children’s Book Fair Is on the Ether With Moscow

Still planning to mount a first children's book fair in Moscow next year, BolognaFiere is 'in' Moscow this week but primarily digitally. The post Bologna Children’s Book Fair Is on the Ether With Moscow appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-09-03 18:24:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Happy pub day to the first mainstream children’s book featuring a Sikh character.

A groundbreaking children’s book based on an equally groundbreaking sports hero comes out today: Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh, featuring the story of the first centenarian marathon runner, is also the first children’s book from a major publisher that features a Sikh main... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-25 16:06:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sam Thompson goes to Little Island for children's debut

Little Island Books will publish the debut children’s book of Booker-longlisted novelist Sam Thompson in 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-24 12:43:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this


LeBron Wrote a Children’s Book and It’s Selling Really Well

In “I Promise,” LeBron James and the illustrator Nina Mata give hope to kids when they need it most. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-08-20 09:00:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bette Midler and Michiko Kakutani are teaming up for a children’s book about the hot duck.

Remember 2018, when things were definitely really bad but we could still touch people who didn’t live with us? It was a simpler (but—make no mistake—still terrible) time, when the House was flipped, everyone was in their feelings, and the city of New York was captivated by a very attractive... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-13 14:41:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Kathleen Duey, a Mentoring Children’s Book Author, Dies at 69

A prolific writer, she published more than 75 books, including a Best Seller and a National Book Award finalist, all while encouraging aspiring authors. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-08-05 21:52:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amid a virus surge and government repression, Hong Kong’s oldest bookstore is closing.

I know that fingers can’t “plod,” but that is what they are doing now, delivering upsetting news that encapsulates this shitty year. As Hong Kong teeters on the edge of a serious coronavirus outbreak and democratic institutions continue losing a war of attrition with the Chinese government, the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-29 18:53:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this