Xiaolu Guo
Xiaolu Guo is a novelist, memoirist and filmmaker. She was born in China and moved to London in 2002. Her first novel written in English, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers (2007), was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. She was one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists in 2013. Her memoir Once Upon a Time in the East won the National Book Critics Circle Award 2017 and was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award. Her most recent novel, Call Me Ishmaelle (2025), was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Pick. Her memoir My Battle of Hastings was first published in 2024.
As well as writing, Xiaolu Guo has directed a dozen award-winning films, including How is Your Fish Today (Sundance Official Selection). Her feature She, a Chinese received the Golden Leopard Award at the Locarno Festival 2009 and her documentary We Went to Wonderland was selected for ND/NF Festival at the Museum of Modern Art. Guo is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in London.
Photograph © Gareth Stevens
