'Agony Uncle鈥� Mike Gayle in China

British author Mike Gayle’s popular books.

Mike Gayle

By Du Guodong

Those seeking a light-hearted look at life and love and wanting a humorous perspective on issues common to most of us today, may be familiar with the entertaining novels of Mike Gayle, an expert in expressing inner emotions from a male perspective.

Rising to fame in Britain as a relationship columnist, or "Agony Uncle," in magazines including FHM, Sunday Times Style and Cosmopolitan, Gayle was in Beijing to promote his novels at the 16th Beijing International Book Fair during his fi rst trip to China. He presented a series of lectures and talks in the capital as well as in Tianjin and Shanghai and met with fans and readers.

Best selling author of My Legendary Girlfriend and Mr Commitment, Gayle is best known for his unique portrayal of the male psyche when related to love.

"I started writing novels on topics of love between men and women when I worked for the magazines, because I used to write articles especially for teenage girls, to offer advice for them and my reason for writing such a topic comes from the enthusiasm to fi nd out the truth of certain aspects of relationships. When I begin a book, I like to begin with a question and I then try to answer the question," Gayle explained.

My Legendary Girlfriend was an instant hit in the UK, it sold 3 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 20 languages. There are also plans for a fi lm. The Chinese language versions of My Legendary Girlfriend, Turning Thirty and Mr Commitment have won Gayle many Chinese fans, with his universal theme easily relatable.

"I think it's so amazing that relationships are so international, I can barely believe that I'm sitting here in China and talking to Chinese readers. What I've found while touring around the world is that no matter where you are, relationships are the same the world over, that is men not understanding women and women not understanding men," Gayle said.

Written from a male point of view, Gayle's books focus on the sentiments of urban men and women and portray in detail the responsibilities loaded on men by society, the expectations of women from men and the sense of insecurity and fear that coincide. He presents a fresh and humorous look at the secret inner world of men.

"One of the things I deliberately set out to do is to make the reading a pleasure run and I think reading doesn't have to be hard work, I'm really excited about it and I hope they [all readers] can enjoy it and look forward to reading it over again, that is very important," Gayle added.

Gayle has carved a literary niche out of the male confessional novel. Mr Commitment, published in 1999, follows the love and emotional life of 28-year-old Ben Duffy, or "Mr Irresponsible." His girlfriend Mel is demanding a commitment after four years of dating. She wants them to move in together and get engaged, but is turned down by Ben due to his hesitation.

Ben knows that he loves Mel, but does not want to become a husband. Mel thinks that he does not want to marry her and a saga of modern day love ensues.

"I like Duffy's character and he loves his girlfriend and wants to win back her heart, though he dared not to make any commitment and in some sense, Duffy is me, or part of me," Gayle said.

Gayle manages to strike a cord with his books and much of the feedback on facebook and twitter sees readers across the globe fi nding similarities in their own life experiences. His latest work is one of non-fi ction and his an account of his personal mission to get things done.

"The To-Do List is actually a real life book, not fi ction and it is going to be published in China, it is about my own life. After two and a half weeks of writing down the things I needed to do, altogether 1,277 items, I am going to fi nish them one by one in a year, that is the new opportunity for my male confessional." British author Mike Gayle's popular books.

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