Confucius on the Art of Not Being Annoying
A note on the proper use of ritual
Philosophy, Writing, Curiosity
Hello, I’m Dr Will Buckingham. I’m a writer and philosopher based in Tainan, Taiwan. My most recent book, “Hello, Stranger” (Granta 2022) was a BBC Radio4 Book of the Week. I co-direct Wind&Bones, a social enterprise dedicated to writing and social change.
Latest Updates
Latest news and updates
Tâigael Sounds: Audio Literature in Taiwanese and Gaelic
A grant from Creative Scotland, supporting our work in minoritised languages
A Short Note on Writing & Suffering
Powerful writing arises not out of suffering, but out of questioning.
Writing as Strategy: in conversation with Naomi Sím
Reflections on conversations with Naomi Sím (沈宛瑩 / Sím Oán-Êng)
Translating Cultures - Between Scotland and Taiwan
Our collection of stories in Taiwanese and Gaelic is almost finished!
Reviews
Reviews in the national and international media
The Economist
Review of HELLO, STRANGER
Will Buckingham has written a moving memoir of finding solace, after the death of his life partner, in travelling and talking in lands such as Myanmar that are culturally distant from his native England.
The Guardian
Review of HELLO, STRANGER
An elegant and moving exploration of what it means to connect with strangers turns into an elegy for a much-missed way of life... while Hello, Stranger is a beautiful meditation on the pleasures and pains of a world to which many of us yearn to return, it may also be an elegy for a world that is lost to us for some time to come.
The Herald, Scotland
Review of HELLO, STRANGER
A wonderful mix of history, anthropology and psychology... a marvellous, restrained study of humanity... In this era of walls and hatred of the other, it’s a necessary work.
The Mail on Sunday
Review of HELLO, STRANGER
A well-constructed, eloquent celebration of the traditions and rituals of hospitality and of opening your door to unknown guests.
The Bookseller
HELLO, STRANGER, Editors' Choice
Humane and heart-warming.
Philip Marsden, author of The Summer Isles
Praise for HELLO, STRANGER
A glorious book, fabulously learned and funny, and filled with all manner of stirring stories.
Madeleine Bunting, author of Labours of Love - The Crisis of Care
Praise for HELLO, STRANGER
A treasure trove of all the possibilities strangers can be to each other. Read, learn and savour.
Kyunghyang Shinmun, Korea
Review of HELLO, STRANGER
A book that gives you the motivation and reason to break out of your long isolation.
The Korea Times
Review of HELLO, STRANGER
A literary, philosophical, historical, and intellectual exploration of strangeness and hospitality.
Times Literary Supplement
Review of STEALING WITH THE EYES
Fascinating… As a memoir, ‘Stealing With the Eyes’ is powerful. Buckingham has a wonderful eye for detail, and the tale he has woven is gripping.
John Paul Flintoff, author of How to Change the World
Praise for HELLO, STRANGER
Buckingham provides a map for others to follow, showing that when we show kindness to strangers, we may be entertaining angels unawares.
Helsinki Book Review
Review of STEALING WITH THE EYES
Moving in the realms of personal travelogue and the novel, Stealing With the Eyes is a curious and always entertaining book, driven by lively dialogue with occasional dips into beautiful observations that verge on epiphany.
The BookBag
Review of THE SNORGH AND THE SAILOR
This book is such a delightful read, with exciting adventures involving a journey out to sea in a bathtub, great whales and desert islands and even sea monsters... The Snorgh and the Sailor was just a little bit wonderful.
Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo
Praise for THE SNORGH AND THE SAILOR
Outstanding – adventurous and quirky.
Emily Calandrelli, Correspondent on Bill Nye Saves the World.
Praise for LUCY AND THE ROCKET DOG
I wish I had this book when I was a kid! It brings you on a fun adventure through the universe and sneaks in some fascinating science along the way.
Louis de Bernières
Praise for THE DESCENT OF THE LYRE
This is a book that is memorable for all the right reasons. The story is gripping and highly original, and it is beautifully written.
Historical Novel Review
Review of THE DESCENT OF THE LYRE
Do not mistake this for a mere retelling. This is masterful storytelling.
The Bookseller
Review of THE DESCENT OF THE LYRE
A well-written, lyrical tale.
Left Lion Magazine
Review of FINDING OUR SEA-LEGS
An examination of philosophy and stories that will leave you waving, not drowning...
The Bookseller
Review of THE SNORGH AND THE SAILOR
This is a charming book that celebrates the power of the imagination and the thrill of adventure
Asian Review of Books
Review of SIXTY-FOUR CHANCE PIECES
Buckingham's stories are glimpses into worlds familiar yet somehow distant, their landscapes and cultures verging on the mythical.Eclectic, with a healthy dose of humor, the stories of Sixty-Four Chance Pieces act as provocations to consider the nature of our respective political, social and personal realities.
Professor Harry Miller, University of South Alabama
Review of SIXTY-FOUR CHANCE PIECES
A meandering search for meaning through a broad expanse of cultural material from Baal to Billie Holiday... This Book of Changes has made me rejoice that I am living in an age that has produced such brilliantly unconventional, refreshing, and fulfilling books.
Tim Hannigan, author of THE TRAVEL WRITING TRIBE
Praise for STEALING WITH THE EYES
A beautifully written evocation of a journey into the village communities of eastern Indonesia, and a remarkable meditation on the uneasy business of travelling to foreign lands in search of stories.
Birmingham Post
Review of THE SNORGH AND THE SAILOR
Simply written, with a subtleness that adds sophistication to a picture book, Buckingham has shown that he has a tender touch… There is just a hint of poignancy in this beautifully illustrated book… It’s a book to treasure.
David Chapman
Review of FINDING OUR SEA-LEGS
The book is unconventional in form: written in colloquial English with little jargon. It tells many stories: about talking fish, million-year-old princesses, and the need to lower your mast as you near the horizon, lest your boat get stuck between the sky and the sea. _Finding our Sea-Legs_ is also unconventional in content. It is one of very few books about a key problem in contemporary philosophy: the tension between the urgency of ethics and their inherent ambiguity.
Ethical Perspectives
Review of LEVINAS, STORYTELLING, AND ANTI-STORYTELLING
An enthusiastic, vivacious and daring contribution to the dialogue between ethics and literature, and between philosophy as broader discipline and literary studies.