KIWI AUTHOR OFF TO THE HAY FESTIVALNew Zealand author and school teacher, Bernard Beckett is this week winging his way to London for the launch there of his novel, Genesis, and to appear at the Hay Festival in Wales (21-31 May) where he and Xiaolu Guo are scheduled to speak with Stephanie Merritt.
First published by Longacre Press in 2006, Genesis, (NZ cover left), was purchased by Text Publishing Australia who sold the international rights to publisher Quercus for $250,000 NZ, the largest figure ever paid for a young adult novel. With another 18 countries purchasing rights since then Beckett could be spending a lot of time airborne if he plans to attend all the launches.
The British media have begun reviewing the book and excellent reviews can now be found in The Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124173815977798527.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124154560710488169.html
and The Guardian review http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/may/09/genesis-bernard-beckett-reviewed
In the words of the Hay Festival programme “Beckett’s Genesis creates a world where just what it means to be human is up for debate”.
First published by Longacre Press in 2006, Genesis, (NZ cover left), was purchased by Text Publishing Australia who sold the international rights to publisher Quercus for $250,000 NZ, the largest figure ever paid for a young adult novel. With another 18 countries purchasing rights since then Beckett could be spending a lot of time airborne if he plans to attend all the launches.
The British media have begun reviewing the book and excellent reviews can now be found in The Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124173815977798527.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124154560710488169.html
and The Guardian review http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/may/09/genesis-bernard-beckett-reviewed
In the words of the Hay Festival programme “Beckett’s Genesis creates a world where just what it means to be human is up for debate”.
Footnote:
If Beckett needs a bagman then Bookman Beattie is available. I have always wanted to go to that Festival. I could happily blog away between sessions. Went to Hay years ago before the Festival had been invented and spent two days fossicking around in some of the many second-hand bookstores. Paradise.
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