To be a novelist in China: A missed appointment, but sure astonishment
First of all, a thank you note to my dear fellow blogger Jonathan, for his post on “To be a novelist in China: A missed appointment but no disappointment”. A rather charming post, I must say, and very much like the writer himself. Well, I am not sure whether the event was “no disappointment”, but there was certainly “astonishment”. A casual invitation by the Forum’s Chief Operating Officer, Bruno Vinay, to a chat with acclaimed writer and journalist, Irène Frain, turned out to be a full interview in front of an audience of distinguished women participants, photographer and writers….
So, Jonathan, you think I am an “ambitious and determined young shark”, huh? Hmmm… I have never thought of myself that way. What I can tell you is that there were many moments during the session when this young shark felt more like “Nemo” lost in the wide ocean. Shark or clown fish, the interview was an incredible experience for me. It was an honour to be interviewed by Ms. Frain, a gentle woman with the highest level of perception. She raised some tough, but truly thought provoking, questions (certainly much tougher than many job interviews!). We talked about living as a foreigner in a globalised economy, about Chinese values and about my personal beliefs. Moreover, to have an audience of such high achieving women listen to my young, inexperienced mind, I feel incredibly privileged. The experience made me realise why these women are so successful - because they have the openness and patience to listen to different viewpoints, no matter how naïve or foreign they may be.
My apologies to those who arrived late and thought for most of the session I was the young, talented Chinese writer. Unfortunately, a novelist I cannot pretend to be. But I will remember the first question of the Q&A session for a long time to come: “As a writer, why would you want to pursue an MBA?” A missed appointment – Yes. An astonishment – Yes. An incredible experience – Definitely.
