New language, new identity

Arriving in the UK at the age of almost 30 meant Xiaolu Guo was stripped of all she knew about reading and writing. To her, working as a writer, it was the equivalent of becoming illiterate. Five years later, Guo published her first book written in English and has since produced a number of critically acclaimed works which have been translated into 28 languages. The latest is a memoir, Once Upon a Time in the East (2018).

In this conversation with Peter Nielsen, literary editor of Denmark’s Information, Guo talks about growing up in China, about language and identity – and about how overrated English-language literature really is.

In English.

If you put five or more tickets to LitFestBergen events in your shopping cart and pay for them together, you will automatic get a 20 percent discount.