Bite-sized Morsels

THE FOLLOWING EMAIL was sent to a senior editor of a publishing house in Kuala Lumpur. The email, with typos corrected, reads: “I can’t write very well, but I thought I’d like to write a novel. I’ve decided to write a novel about pirates, but I don’t know anything about pirates. Could you please email me information about pirates: their lifestyle, their eating habits, where they like to chill out, what they like to do during the weekends, what kinds of books they read, etc., so that I can start working on the novel? With much appreciation.”

A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE says that I have messed up his life for good. The day I met you, he says, I have read more books and spent more money on them than anything else in my life. This, indeed, is music to my ears!

AWARD-WINNING TRAVEL WRITER and novelist Colin Thubron’s new travel memoir, A Mountain in Tibet, transports you to the sacred peak of Mount Kailas in the Himalayas (“the most sacred of the world’s mountains—holy to one-fifth of the earth’s people”) and ponders about faith and death in this wondrous corner of the planet. This is a definite must-read for armchair travellers!

It’s Now the ANZ-Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2011
JUST EIGHT WEEKS before the gala opening of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2011, ANZ (through its subsidiary PT ANZ Panin Bank), a leading international bank in Indonesia, has stepped in to offer the Festival sponsorship that will see the event named as the ANZ Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2011. The Australian and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ Group) is renowned for supporting cultural, community and sporting events such as the Archibald Prize, Royal Flying Doctors and the Australian Open.

Festival Director and Founder Janet de Neefe says, “This is a happy, happy day for this, our eighth Festival. When our 2010 naming rights sponsor defaulted at almost the eleventh hour, we were devastated, but determined that Indonesia’s premier literary event would go ahead untarnished and proud. On the eve of launching what we believe is our most enthralling and inspirational program ever, we take great heart from knowing that ANZ, our newest and most generous sponsor, shares our aim to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

“We are pleased to support the ANZ-Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, rated as one of the world’s top six literary festivals. The Festival also enables us to show our support for Bali and the development of Indonesian literature and culture. It is also a great proposition for our customers, especially our retail customers and credit-card holders,” stated ANZ CEO Indonesia Joseph Abraham.

All are invited to the ANZ-Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2011 to celebrate the diversity of thought and breadth of vision represented by more than one hundred writers across all genres, across the globe, in recognition of its theme, cultivate the land within. Festival dates are 6-9 October 2011. For more info www.ubudwritersfestival.com