The best of the Shanghai International Literary Festival

The eighth annual Shanghai International Literary Festival has attracted more authors than ever. To help you whittle down the choices, we asked a few of the city’s most erudite locals for their must-see picks.

Graham Earnshaw, founder Earnshaw Books

His Shanghai International Literary Festival pick: Andrew Field, "Shanghai’s Dancing World: Cabaret Culture and Urban Politics, 1919-1954"
When: Saturday, March 13, 11am

“Andrew has been in Shanghai for well over a decade and I believe has been ransacking the city's archives and other resources for much of that time to uncover the nightlife mood of the city between the two world wars. There are few people who have done original research on the topic. Andrew is one of them and his talk is bound to be fascinating.”

JFK Miller, editor in chief, That’s Shanghai

His Shanghai International Literary Festival pick: Linda Jaivin, "A Most Immoral Afternoon"
When: Saturday, March 20, 1pm

“I'm a sucker for fictionalizations and Linda's among my top three favorite authors doing them these days -- Adam Williams and Anchee Min are the other two. I declare an interest here since I am moderating Linda's session, but I'd have camped out overnight for tickets even if I wasn't -- "A Most Immoral Woman" is a really enjoyable read.”

Rebecca Catching, director, OV Gallery

Her Shanghai International Literary Festival pick: Su Tong, "On inspiration, memory and childhood"
When: Saturday March 13, 5pm

“As one of my first introductions to Chinese literature, Su Tong’s “Raise the Red Lantern: Three Novellas” set the tone for many of the themes I would encounter later on; poverty and the stress it has on family relationships, greed and family rivalry, honor, face and women suffering at the hands of an unjust society. In Su Tong’s work, we often see history as a protagonist -- with political events drastically changing the fortunes of families. With “The Boat to Redemption,” he’s again dealing with reversal of fortunes, and it looks like a compelling read.”

CNNGo’s Shanghai International Literary Festival picks:

Who: Junot Diaz, "On Oscar Wao and the eternal quest for home"
When: Sunday, March 7, 5pm

Okay, it’s not remotely about China -- Diaz writes about the Dominican immigrant experience in the United States -- but his writing is just so gripping and his storytelling so vivid that we had to put him on our list. Besides, his themes of the search for home and straddling two worlds are ones most expats can relate to. Did we mention he won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction?

When: Sunday, March 7, 4pm

Bi Feiyu is frequently called one of China’s best fiction writers, as well as the best male writer on the female psyche. Since this session will have a translator, it provides a rare opportunity for an English-speaking audience to hear him discuss his work.