Adam's Franchise - Lawrence Gray - Bookniverse
Adam's Franchise
Lawrence Gray
US $14.15
US $17.69
2016/10
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9789888491100
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PDF
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Proverse Hong Kong
copyAbout this book
View more文學 > 世界文學
In the land of Daoistan, freedom has arrived at last. The revolution liberated all, then enslaved everyone, and now it was liberating them again by allowing people to own credit cards. And a man with credit is a man who has the world at his fingertips, or at least a trip into town where the temptations are pretty much as they have always been, only more people can afford them. ADAM’S FRANCHISE is a story about Adam and his Franchise. He is not quite sure what that means, but he is a modern man, embracing the economic miracle and taking up a gift shop franchise at a new hotel. There he will sell much the same things that he always sold: baskets, pots, cultural artefacts of various kinds, except at a modern price to foreigners, should they ever care to come to the hotel. The desert that he lives in is not the most beautiful of places, policed by Omar who has to learn how to get out of his hammock, fuelled by Castrol who just loves the smell of petrol and the visions it gives him, and terrorised by nomads and Adam’s volatile brothers-in-law. But if it ever rids itself of the last vestiges of barbarism, both pre-revolutionary and revolutionary, as epitomised by Adam’s indolent, lustful, embittered, rapacious, cynical, superstitious father, Saleem, then harmony – both spiritual and economic – might assert itself. Or maybe, just air-conditioning./Daoistan exists everywhere, or has done at some time or other. And there have been many Adams. Winner of the Proverse Prize 2015.
About the author(s)
View moreLawrence Gray
LAWRENCE GRAY was born and educated in the UK and took BA honours in Economics and Politics from Leeds University. He is a professional screenwriter and director and has written many episodes of UK and Singapore TV dramas and written, produced and directed a number of films in English and Cantonese. He has also edited and “doctored” many feature scripts from around Asia and Australia. In London he was a founder of the London Screenwriters’ Workshop and in Hong Kong he founded the Hong Kong Writers’ Circle and chaired the group for twenty years, publishing many collections of stories from a wide variety of Hong Kong writers. Gray has taught screenwriting in various cities around the world, and was one of the first to professionalise the industry. He has published three works of fiction (two novels and a short story collection) with Proverse Hong Kong.
About the publisher
View moreProverse publishes internationally from Hong Kong mainly high quality literary and general titles (novels, novellas, single author short story and poetry collections, poetry anthologies, biography and autobiography), also some travel, sport, young author, mixed genre, educational and academic works, and edited historical source materials. Proverse authors include local and international authors, native speakers of English as well as non-native speakers. Topics and settings vary between local and international. Publication modes are paperback, hardback, ebook and audiobook. Most books are in the English language, including translations into English. A number are in Chinese, and a couple in Italian, a few are bilingual (English/Chinese; English/Italian). Several titles received publication support from Hong Kong Arts Development Council and other cultural bodies in Hong Kong and elsewhere.In 2008, Proverse established theannual international Proverse Prize for unpublished book-length non-fiction, fiction or poetry submitted in English. In 2016, Proverse launched theannual international Proverse Poetry Prize for a single poem submitted in English. Both prizes open for entries no later than 7 May each year (closing date 30 June). Entries to both prizes are invited from anywhere in the world and are open to all over eighteen years old, whatever their nationality, residence or citizenship. Writers and poets from Hong Kong and many countries in the world participate. Winners have been both local and international.Beginning in 2009 and continuing, Proverse organises in central Hong Kong a Spring and an Autumn literary event, open to the public. In recent years, a parallel event, available internationally, is shown on Youtube.Of the titles published by Proverse, several have attracted a Preface or advance appreciation from figures of international reputation. Two Proverse authors have been best sellers, one (Peter Gregoire) in Hong Kong and the other (Nicholas Binge) in Spain.Further informationWebsite: htt[s://www.proversepublishing.comGillian Bickley, ‘The Proverse Prize, Journal of Postcolonial Writing, Vol 59, 2023 Issue 1. https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/TKVG8HZSZWX6R4CUJUKM/full?target=10.1080/17449855.2022.2101653Proverse titles page:https://cup.cuhk.edu.hk/ProversehkProverse Autumn Reception 2022 video (3rd edit): https://youtu.be/9L0L0AY6NGQProverse Youtube channel: youtube.com/@ProversePublishing
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