Mai Jia talks to Angus Phillips

Multi-million selling Chinese spy novelist Mai Jia talks about his books and their screen adaptations.

Jia is one of China’s most famous spy thriller authors. His novel The Message was cast as a major motion picture in 2007. Jia’s spy novels are all set during the Republican Period (1913-1949). His books include In the Dark and Decoded – described by the Telegraph as one of ‘the 20 best spy novels of all time’.

Jia is one of the most accomplished writers in contemporary China. He has published seven novels and received numerous prizes for his work. His books have sold more than 12 million copies in China and have been translated into 33 languages. He is the contemporary writer in China who has been adapted for the screen the most times. Here he talks to Professor Angus Phillips, director of the Oxford International Centre for Publishing at Oxford Brookes University. Phillip is the author of many books including Inside Book Publishing.

Presented by the Confucius Institute and the Oxford International Centre for Publishing at Oxford Brookes University. Previous Confucius Institute events include Man Asian Literary Prize Winner Su Tong, the novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo, and the bestselling author of Yellowface, Rebecca Kuang.