Marie Claire, June 2007
Interview with the Author
We caught up with Zhang Su Li for a short chat on her work, her regrets, and her book, A bakcpack and a bit of luck. It is a recollection of the author’s adventures and trips. Written from the heart and from an Asian viewpoint, it reminds us that there is still a great deal of good out there in the world if we care to open our hearts to the possibility of goodness and to trust others.
MC: What inspired you to write these stories in the first place?
ZSL: An earthworm. It ruined my chances of passing my biology exam, so I failed to get into veterinary college. I turned to travel and writing, and discovered that those were my true loves. I never thought of putting the two together until I began discovering more and more, that there’s an abundance of kindness in this world that’s not always obvious. And since I hadn’t the foggiest idea how to contact those people I met on my travels, this book is an expression of gratitude to them.
MC: Your life sounds like a lot of fun.
ZSL: Yes, my life is fun, but it isn’t easy. Writers are perceived to have a ‘better’ job than the average desk-bound employee because we can go to work straight from bed without dressing up. We can sleep all day, and work at 3 a.m. if we felt like it. But nobody knows about the times we lie in the ditch wondering if we should be in a steady job with EPF. To me, writing is a wonderful thing to do because I love it. If I were a toll-booth attendant, or a plumber, and if I loved doing it, I’d be happy too. I believe that having a life with a lot of fun depends entirely on whether we’re doing what we love best.
MC: If there was one thing about your life that you could change, what would it be?
ZSL: My age - I’d like to be 20 years old so I have the next 50 or 60 years to do what I’m doing now.
MC: Describe yourself in 5 words
ZSL: Courageous (only of late), compassionate, meticulous, stubborn and easy-going
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