Beijing Review

42 BEIJING REVIEW APRIL 20, 2017 http://www.bjreview.com

CULTURE

Exploring a

New Universe

British writer finds new avenues in China, thanks to online publishing

By Lu Yan

M

ajor Jake Nanden is a driven man. His

sole purpose in life is to bring to justice

the man who sent his friend to his

death 10 years ago. To attain his resolute goal,

Nanden is forced to kill, again and again.

And now this formidable character has

been let loose in China.

Too Bright the SunDVFLĶQRYHOE\%ULWLVK

author Lazlo Ferran with Nanden as its central

figure, is now available in Chinese, sold on

Amazon.cn, Douban.com and other Chinese

online booksellers.

ìI am particularly honored to be included in

this ënew waveí,î Ferran told Beijing Review.

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An aeronautical engineering graduate, Ferran

has had an adventurous life, having worked as a

dispatch rider, a Web designer and a street mu-

sician with two albums. Now a full-time writer,

his colorful experiences are the fountain of his

literary inspiration. His books cover a wide range

of genresósci-fi, occult, historical and literary

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Ferran said he has always had an interest in

Asia, which he sees as a mysterious land. Talking

about his bond with the continent, he mentions

that his wedding was held in Kyrgyzstan. ìAsia

has always been and will always be part of my

life,î he said.

Ferran regards China as a huge and dimly

understood sector. He has been reaching out

to discover and share the Chinese perspective,

and his characters include Chinese, such as the

opium lady in Lotus, his reincarnation tale.

And now he is reaching out to China with

his books, three of which have been translated

into ChineseóOrdo Lupus and the Temple

Gate, a Gothic novel which weaves in the con-

cepts of lycanthropy, witchcraft and espionage,

The Devilís Own Dice, a paranormal thriller, and

Too Bright the SunZKLFKZDVĶUVWSXEOLVKHGDV

an e-book in 2011.

The Chinese translations have been done

in collaboration with Fiberead, a Beijing-based

startup that links foreign writers with its pool of

registered translators and gets the new version

ready for the Chinese market much faster than

a traditional publisher world.

The company was founded in 2011 by an

ambitious entrepreneurial duo who realized

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lished in foreign markets and languages and

that its online platform can give authors global

visibility.

ìI can see from my Chinese reviews that

Chinese get it when they read my books.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to

interact with a culture that so

understands what I am trying to do.î

óBritish author Lazlo Ferran

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Too Bright the Sun has had several editions since then,

including a paperback and a Chinese version