27 Nov GTLF Countdown No. 12

Just a day to go before the George Town Literary Festival’s official opening at The Whiteaways Arcade tomorrow (Friday) at 5.30pm. It was a pleasure to welcome Hans Kemp to the bookshop today. He is an award-winning photographer who’s been based in Asia for more than twenty years. Hans hand-carried copies of his superb books of photography including: Bikes of Burden, about the motorbike culture in Vietnam (2013); Ardent Eye (2007), a collection of some of his most personal images of Asia; and Burmese Light (2013, with Tom Vater) that vividly captures the varied textures of this amazing land and its people. Then there are his exquisite publications published through his Visionary World imprint in the Asia Unique series: Hands; Catch; and Door. In 2002 Hans founded Visionary World, a publishing company based in Hong Kong, with the aim of producing high quality illustrated books about Asia. His latest brainchild is Crime Wave Press, started in 2012 together with seasoned writer Tom Vater whose aim is to publish quality crime fiction with a connection to Asia. And check out Hans’s Facebook page at Hans Kemp Photography.