Evans, Polly 1970–

PERSONAL: Born 1970, in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, England. Education: Attended Cambridge University. Hobbies and other interests: Running, swimming, volunteer reader at a primary school.

ADDRESSES: Home—London, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Gregory and Company, 3 Barb Mews, Hammersmith, London W6 7PA, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. During early career, worked in publishing in London, England; HK (publishing house), Hong Kong, China, former editor.

AWARDS, HONORS: Human Rights Press Award, 2002, for articles on racism in Hong Kong; Kenneth Westcott Jones Memorial Award for Best Transport Feature, British Guild of Travel Writers, 2005, for article published in London Sunday Times.

WRITINGS:

TRAVEL BOOKS

It's Not about the Tapas: Around Spain on Two Wheels, Bantam Books (London, England), 2003.

Kiwis Might Fly: Around New Zealand on Two Big Wheels, Bantam Books (London, England), 2004.

Fried Eggs with Chopsticks: Around China by Any Means Possible, Bantam Books (London, England), 2005.

WORK IN PROGRESS: On a Hoof and a Prayer and Dog Sledding in the Yukon.

SIDELIGHTS: Polly Evans developed a taste for travel and adventure at a young age. When she was nine years old, her parents moved the family from the small town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, England, to Tokyo, Japan. Although she returned to England to attend university and worked for several years in London, Evans found herself in Asia once again when she took a position as an editor in Hong Kong for HK, a job that allowed her to travel extensively through China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia for writing assignments. She eventually quit her job in order to travel through Spain, a trip that resulted in her first book, It's Not about the Tapas: Around Spain on Two Wheels. The book recounts her adventures and misadventures while traveling through the country by bicycle. Olga B. Wise noted in a review for Library Journal that even "in her most desperate moments, her love for the country and its culture still shines through." A contributor for Kirkus Reviews found Evans's effort to be "as unpretentious as a tapas bar, and as brimming with savory morsels."

Continuing with her humorous travel theme, Evans followed her first book with Kiwis Might Fly: Around New Zealand on Two Big Wheels and Fried Eggs with Chopsticks: Around China by Any Means Possible. Of the latter effort, Bill Purves remarked in the Asian Review of Books Online that Evans's "intentions were good, but China seems to have defeated her—the food, the manners, the hygiene all disgusted her." Taipei Times critic Bradley Winterton nevertheless commented that the work "milks the author's experiences for comic effects on every other page. If you happen to share Evans's sense of humor, then you'll certainly enjoy this book."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2005, Mark Knoblauch, review of It's Not about the Tapas: Around Spain on Two Wheels, p. 804.

Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2004, review of It's Not about the Tapas, p. 993.

Library Journal, December 1, 2004, Olga B. Wise, review of It's Not about the Tapas, p. 146.

ONLINE

Asian Review of Books Online, http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/ (October 30, 2005), Bill Purves, review of Fried Eggs with Chopsticks: Around China by Any Means Possible.

Gregory and Company Web site, http://www.gregoryandcompany.co.uk/ (January 15, 2006), "Polly Evans."

Polly Evans Home Page, http://www.pollyevans.com (January 15, 2006).

Soteria Reviews Online, http://www.soteriamag.co.uk/ (January 15, 2006), "Polly Evans."

Taipei Times Online, http://www.taipeitimes.com/ (September 11, 2005), Bradley Winterton, "Polly Evans Does China on a Comedy Shoestring."

Transworld Books Web site, http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/ (January 15, 2006), "Polly Evans."