Exciting news from the Richards Literary Agency

WITI IHIMAERA’s stories published in Sri Lanka

A selection of New Zealand stories from Pounamu Pounamu by Witi Ihimaera has just been published in translation in Sri Lanka.

The edition of 1000 copies will be sold at SRL 180.00.  The Auckland translator is Karu (Buddhadasa Karasinghi Arachchi) and the publisher is Ashirwada, contracted by Richards Literary Agency.

Copies have been sent to 30 schools in Sri Lanka and 50 copies are to be donated to children of the Sri Lankan diasporas in New Zealand.  The Auckland consulate thanked Karu for his work as translator and organiser.

Ray Richars says that "Sri Lanka is obviously a small market for New Zealand books in translation but it will be followed by another and another and another".

And in Canada there have been three of Maurice Gee’s junior novels published in French translations:  SALT, GOOL and THE LIMPING MAN.

While here in New Zealand Maurice Gee’s THE HALFMEN OF O has been contracted for a potential full-length movie.