Multilingual

Well, the Icelandic programme has now arrived in Norwegian - is this progress? Still, it would appear that I am required to do very little in return for my 5 day trip. And we get a tour of the Golden Triangle on Sunday, which is natural beauties like geysers and a waterfall with a permanent rainbow.

I've had an e-mail about the Japanese edition of City of Stars. The translation is coming out at about 700 pages and they want to split it into two volumes. Today I heard that they want to make the break at chapter 14, in medias res. It all seems very odd but I mustn't knock it. The Japanese advance for City of Masks made a nice dent in the cost of our new kitchen.

I've been reading another book about Brunelleschi for the short story I should write for the Stravaganza website as a teaser for City of Flowers. But most of the week has gone on writing up notes and answering e-mails.It hasn't felt like a writer's week but some of them are like that.

The Reading Our World leaflet arrived this week. It's a slim booklet, funded by the Arts Council and Book Trust, to be distributed to all London Primary Schools, featuring "culturally diverse" literature for children. It has an illustration from The Colour of Home on the cover and an introduction by me.

Ironically, the Somalian family with whom I worked on The Colour of Home and whose passport forms I countersigned - they are now British citizens - have been told I'm not suitable because I work from home! So complicated phone calls with the passport office. Watch this space.