Xiaolu Guo: I am China

Chinese-born English writer Xiaolu Guo is one of the most distinctive and exciting voices in contemporary literature. She is also an award-winning filmmaker and the Weather Station writer in residence at Free Word, London, a global initiative that places literature and storytelling at the heart of the conversations around climate change.

Xiaolu’s latest novel is I am China. Set in London, Dover and Beijing, I am China tells the story of translator Iona Kirkpatrick, who uncovers a tale of two lovers separated by distance and political intervention. Jian, an exiled musician, is trapped in a detention centre while his girlfriend Mu tries to track him down through desperate letters to the authorities. As Iona is drawn deeper into their story, she resolves to do whatever she can to reunite the couple, irrespective of the consequences.

Xiaolu’s previous novels have been nominated for the Orange Prize and the Dublin IMPAC Award, and her films have featured at the Locarno, Sundance and Venice Film Festivals. One of Granta magazine’s Best Young British Novelists Under 40, Xiaolu will discuss I am China, her body of work, the Weather Stations project, and what it means to be caught between two worlds.