History
Now, A 48-hour Thriller on MJ
Elizabeth Kuruvilla
Elizabeth Kuruvilla
09 Jul, 2009
Days after Michael Jackson’s death, two Chinese writers write a book ‘faster than you can read’
Michael Jackson is turning into the king of pop books. Days after his death, two Chinese writers switched off their cellphones and battled sleep on a diet of coffee and cigarettes to complete a biography of the legend in 48 hours. Authors Jiang Xiaoyu and Xing Han, who wrote the 1,30,000-word ‘instant’ book titled Moonwalk in Paradise for Chinese publisher Xiandai, have, however, never met or spoken to the pop star. They merely put their ‘accumulated knowledge about the King of Pop’ to good use. Jiang, who has written blogs and reviews about MJ, told China Daily : “I’m not only a music critic but also a fan of the King of Pop, so I understand what fans need… I fought the deadline around the clock, as fans can’t wait for months,” he said.
Zang Yongqing of Xiandai, told the paper that Jackson had a big influence on many Chinese, and that was “enough to justify an instant book”. Instant books, which many feel are unethical and contain googled information, are regular features in Chinese bookstores. In fact, at least ten other publishers in China are already planning instant books on Jackson, says China Daily. In the meantime, Moonwalk in Paradise is already a topic of discussion among bloggers. ‘I’m not sure I could READ a book that fast, never mind research and write one,’ was a comment on a blog.
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