BEIJING, March 16 -- Ties between readers and writers in China and Australia are getting closer. There's an Australian Friendship Collection at the Shanghai Public Library and now 10 well-known Aussie novels will be translated into Chinese, writes Chen Qing.

Ten award-winning Australian novels - many that Australians grew up reading - will be translated into Chinese under an agreement with the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade.

The translation project was announced at the Fourth Australian Writers Forum that aims to introduce more Australian contemporary literature to China.

It also has opened an Australian corner on the fourth floor of the Shanghai Library.

The translation project is sponsored by Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade, the Australian Consulate General in Shanghai, ANZ Bank and the Australia-China Council.

The memorandum of understanding for the project was signed by SIFT Professor Wang Xinkui and Australian Consul General Susan Dietz-Hendrson.

Bob Carr, former premier of New South Wales and playwright Katherine Thomson spoke last Friday at the forum, a gathering for students, professionals and academics of Australian studies to share and exchange ideas. It is organized by Australian Consulate General and the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade.

Carr has been a journalist, author of political essays and the longest-serving premier of Australia's most popular state.

Thomson, an award-winning playwright, provided an insider's view of the world of Australian theater, television and cinema.

Dietz-Henderson said she and Carr were impressed by the students' knowledge of Australian politics, history, society, culture and literature.

Thomson praised the five Chinese PhD students for their insights.

The Australian Writers Forum, now in its fourth year, has invited writers such as Thomas Kenneally ("Schindler's Arc," "Three Cheers for the Paracelete [Holy Spirit]); Brian Castro ("Shanghai Dancing") and Michelle de Kretser ("The Hamilton Case").

The forum fosters creative relations between the two countries. The translation project of 10 novels by the Australian Study Center at the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade is underway. The novels by 10 living writers include eight that won the Miles Franklin Award.

The titles include "Three Cheers for the Paracelete," (1968) "The Great World" (1990) by David Malouf, "Shanghai Dancing" (2003), and "Jack Maggs" (1997) by Peter Carey.

"It is exciting that novels Australian grow up reading will soon be appreciated by Chinese readers," says Dietz-Henderson.

The ANZ bank is donating 70,000 yuan (9,041 U.S. dollars) to the Australian Friendship Collection at the Shanghai Library for fiscal 2007, to expand its collection.

The collection, launched in 2002 for the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and China, has more than 2,000 books and journals, covering politics, society, history, culture and literature.

It is in the Foreign Book Reading Room on the fourth floor of the Shanghai Library, free to members of the library.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)