Revue de presse :
ODDS AND SODS is a collection of short stories and essays from Lawrence Gray, a much-loved screenplay writer who has lived in Hong Kong for many years. Like the man himself, the work is unpredictable and varied. The items range from straightforward tales in classic short story format, to pieces of writing which are more experimental in nature. And, also like the man himself, the stories range from being funny to being thought-provoking to being clever to being downright annoying! And sometimes they mange to be all these things at once, but overlaid, of course, with more than a touch of English charm. Gray, whatever you think of his opinions, is always worth listening to. He has a distinctive style, a strong sense of fun, and a high level of passionate energy. And in classic British style, he manages to avoid getting too angry, even when dealing with controversial subjects. There's always a genial, laid-back, consider-all-the-factors stance. He has also had a fascination with cultures and identity. So although he is very English, he is also clearly intrigued by "foreign-ness" and by the ways cultures interact with each other. And one gets the view that the many years he has spent in Hong Kong have changed him, too, and detached him from his roots. So as well as the "Englishman Abroad" elements, you'll find many Hong Kong references in this collection, and other elements, such as references to Hindi rap music. By being a literary activist, organizing writers' groups and movie-industry gatherings, and being founder of the Hong Kong Writers' Circle, he has become well-known in his adopted home town. And so this book provides a thoughtful smorgasbord of items, perfect for dipping into, giving us a refreshing journey around the mind of one of Hong Kong's larger-than-life characters. --Nury Vittachi, 'Larger than life character takes us on a tour'
Biographie de l'auteur :
LAWRENCE GRAY was born and educated in the UK and took BA honours in Economics and Politics from Leeds University. He has lived in Hong Kong since 1993. Gray founded the London Screenwriters' Workshop, which became Europe's largest screenwriters' organisation before evolving into the many UK screenwriting organisations and courses which are now part of the UK cultural environment. In Hong Kong he founded the Hong Kong Writers' Circle and chaired the group for twenty years, publishing many collections of stories from a wide variety of Hong Kong writers. Gray has taught screenwriting in various cities around the world, and was one of the first to professionalize the industry. He has written, produced and directed a number of films in both English and Cantonese, and has worked on numerous screenplays for various film projects from India, to China to Hollywood. He has won the PAWS award for drama and the Hong Kong Film Finance Forum's award for best Hong Kong film project of the year. He is currently directing a feature film. He has worked as a television scriptwriter in each of the UK and Singapore, contributing episodes to popular TV series. As a writer of prose he relishes the nuances of his own northern English culture and the subtle twists that many years in Hong Kong have produced; but fears that the very things that make his topics interesting to those who experience such cultural displacement make it less accessible to the wider world; hence his persistence in writing screenplays and now in directing feature films aiming to break down this resistance. The world is more united than ever and whereas he has little faith in the concept of universal stories, he does have faith that all stories, presented well, can within the context of modern technology gain at least widespread, if not universal, recognition and appreciation.
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