Listen in to the podcast talk "The Power of Literature" at the Beijing International Literary Festival.

Audio and sound recording courtesy of the Bookworm.

7:03 | Landing Out of accordance with my expectations, I am the first to arrive. Why aren't the English-speaking masses of Beijing pushing and shoving to listen to M. Kunzru?

7:11 | Company starts to arrive My first accomplice of the evening strolls in, elegantly dressed, yet sporting a red-and-white peace sign necklace : the perfect accessory for a seminar on politics in literature. Why didn't I bring mine?

7:25 | Anxious with Bordeaux Although only five minutes remain till the bell rings for class, the place is barely half-full. And no one at the podium. I seem to be the only soul in the place who is not clutching a fat glass of red wine.

7:30 | Game time But still, no players on the court. Just like good writers, they seem to be building up plot tension.

7:40 | The real tip-off Our three esteemed literary guests arrive. A very brief and informal introduction is given.

7:44 | Storytime The bespectacled and bald-headed Hari Kunzru introduces and reads a passage from his most recent novel, My Revolutions. A quaint English accent and slight nasality of voice give a strong sense of eloquence. The atmospheric style of the selected paragraphs are of an epic sort of language, tantalizing and smooth.

7:53 | Gail Gail Jones provides some background on herself and her work. In a sense, the latter is a quick yet moving recount of the recent history of Australian Aboriginal people. Presently she reads a passage of her own. She has lived in moments of political desperation, and this is conveyed endearingly to our ears. Vibes of compassion float in the room.

8:02 | A question! Nikki Anderson prompts the authors with the first question of the evening. Jones reveals clearly a post-colonial tweak in her writing, and in turn gives rise to the theme of violence. Kunzru elucidates the relation of violence in the British population, beginning with examples from the 1970's.

8:10 | Another question! Kunzru fails to back down from a challenge to discuss the "small topic" of globalization. A witty anecdote concerning a trip to visit his Delhiite relatives (a cousin falls addicted to MTV, and the ensuing headbanging antics) causes a few cackles to ripple through the now well-imbibed audience. The birth of consumerism in India in the 80's is at the center of the story's rhetoric. We learn that, somehow, he knows that Beijing has a punk rock scene.

8:15 | Cameras clicking Jones claims that all writing is political. Discusses the clash of cultures, assimilation, transnational migration and the growth of diasporas, and the sense of dispossession they circumscribe. Kunzru offers solidarity in asserting that the creation of art is inherently a political act. Novels convey complexity. Film, too, yet film concerns itself deeply with surface. He wisely reminds us that the novel is and always will be a form of entertainment.

8:19 | Controversial words From Jones, a claim that literature is, in all actuality, counter-cultural. I stagger upon realizing my ignorance. The debonair K. postulates that truth is a necessity in people's lives. Why read fiction? Who needs imaginate nonsense; how does Balzac benefit my life?

8:26 | Opened up A compelling inquiry from a front-row member of the audience: do you (K. and Jones) envision your reader demographic as you write your prose? K. dispels the possibility: his plume is for himself only. Jones agrees, who finds this practice inhibiting.

8:29 | Straight up! K. divulges the motivation for all journalists--despite their potential distrust for the profession--to be in journalism: we get paid for it.

8:31 | Challenge the guy An emboldened gentleman who professes to have been present at X. Square in London (a setting in K.'s new book), 1968, wonders how K. documents the historical events in his stories. For a moment the room temperature budges a degree upward, as both questioner and questioned compete to get their own words in.

8:34 | A truce No, no battles. K. loquaciously explains how research was conducted for My Revolutions. The emboldened fellow settles back in his chair with a very pleased countenance. Though I suspect he came expressly to pose that one question.

8:39 | Last call Jones speaks with shock value (as we had already discovered upon listening to the passage from her novel). Children as witnesses to violence; tragic capsizing of a Dutch passenger ship years back. A very poignant final discourse by K. is interrupted: somebody didn't turn off their cell phone.

8:46 | Short and sweet A compelling and worthy one hour of everybody's time comes to an end. I see the emboldened gentleman approach the stage. The distinguished three are too preoccupied with book-signing or water-sipping to seem to pay much attention.