‘A real hunger’: English literature, cultural engagement, and China

ABSTRACT

An edited conversation with Alexandra Ault, a Lead curator of manuscripts at the British Library, who recently curated a series of exhibitions about English literature in cities across China, and Andrew Dickson, a freelance culture writer and journalist. The Chapter looks at the ways that English literature has been received historically in China, and sets these in the contemporary context of an increasing awareness of the broader interest in, and support for, these forms of cultural exchange by Government and other national agencies.

KEYWORDS:

• Authorship
• collaboration
• culture
• identity
• politics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Jamie Andrews leads on the development and delivery of the Library’s public engagement and learning programmes at the British Library, and has previously led the development of the Library’s literature collections. His research areas include twentieth-century theatre and the history of collections. He has supervised PhD students in literary and cultural studies, and led a number of major European and UK research and cultural collaborative projects. In 2012 he was awarded a Fellowship on the Clore Leadership Programme, and then returned to the British Library and took up the new role of Head of Cultural Engagement. He is a Trustee of Oxford House, and has previous non-executive and other collaborative experience in the cultural and Higher Education sectors.

Notes

1. <https://www.gov.uk/government/news/best-of-british-culture-to-take-china-by-storm>, Accessed 13 May 2018.

2. <https://www.britishcouncil.org/research/arts-culture-soft-power>, accessed 13 May 2018.

3. See, for example, a recent intervention by the newly appointed Defence Secretary: ‘We talk about soft power and we must acknowledge the amazing work of the Foreign Office and DFID, but also of business and organisations like the British Council, in promoting Britain’s values around the world’. < https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/hard-as-well-as-soft-power-the-case-for-modern-defence>, accessed 13 May 2018.

4. See https://softpower30.com/, accessed 13 May 2018.

5. See https://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/policy-insight-research/value-cult-relations, accessed 13 May 2018.

6. See <http://artdaily.com/news/95359/Major-exhibition-of-British-Library-literary-treasures-opens-in-Beijing>, accessed 13 May 2018.

7. Dickson (2015).