Famous American writer Susan Sontag will likely visit the city in May, according to Shanghai Translation Publishing House who published two of her books this January.

But Sontag, 70, hasn't confirmed the trip due to the bird flu outbreak in Asia.

The publishing house bought three of Sontag's books from Taiwan-based Bardon-Chinese Media Agency in 2002. They are Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and its Metaphors, Against Interpretation, and Where the Stress Falls.

The first two titles came out this January and 15,000 copies of each were printed. The last title will hit local bookstores in April.

Another three titles -- Styles of Radical Will, Under the Sign of Saturn and Regarding the Pain of Others -- are still under negotiation.

"When the author was awarded the Jerusalem Prize in 2001, we started planning to introduce her books to Chinese readers," said Li Dan, editor of the publishing house. "Sontag is a big name writer in the United States and Europe. But she is lesser known here."

Many bookstores consign Sontag's books into the academic category.

Guan Shujin from Jifeng Bookstore said Sontag's two books have sold about 240 copies in two months, considered good for the academic genre.

"I read a short essay in our English text book in college," said Lu Minliang, a graduate student of Fudan University. "It left a strong impression. She's not just a woman, she's an activist."

Some readers are more interested in the writer herself. It is believed by many that Sontag and America's most famous female photographer Annie Leibovitz are a couple.

"We're aware that the market for Sontag's works has a restricted readership," said Li. "Her books cannot be sold like soap. But they will find their audience among professional academics and those who are interested in avant-garde literature."

(eastday.com March 2, 2004)