Five Star Billionaire. Tash Aw

      

      TASH AW

       Five Star Billionaire

       A Novel

      Copyright

      First published in Great Britain in 2013 by

      Fourth Estate

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.4thestate.co.uk

      Copyright © Tash Aw 2013

      Cover credit © Jack Smyth; Figure photo © Tim Robinson / Upsplash; Stones © Jeremy Cai / Unsplash

      The right of Tash Aw to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      Source ISBN: 9780007494187

      Ebook Edition © February 2013 ISBN: 9780007494170

      Version: 2019-02-20

       For Aw Tee Min and Yap Chee Chun

       Suppose one can live without outside pressure, suppose one can create one’s own inner tension – then it is not true that there is nothing in man.

      CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ, The Captive Mind

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

       Copyright

       Dedication

       Epigraph

       Foreword: How to be a Billionaire

       1. Move to Where the Money Is

       2. Choose the Right Moment to Launch Yourself

       3. Bravely Set the World on Fire

       4. Forget the Past, Look Only to the Future

       5. Reinvent Yourself

       6. Perform All Obligations and Duties with Joy

       7. Calmly Negotiate Difficult Situations

       8. Always Rebound After Each Failure

       9. Pursue Gains, Forget Righteousness

       10. Never Lapse into Despair or Apathy

       11. Inquire Deeply into Every Problem

       12. Work with a Soulmate, Someone Who Understands You

       13. Luxuriate in Serendipitous Events

       14. Even Beautiful Things Will Fade

       15. A Strong Fighting Spirit Swallows Mountains and Rivers

       16. Beware of Storms Arising from Clear Skies

       17. Cultivate an Urbane, Humorous Personality

       18. Be Prepared to Sacrifice Everything

       19. There Can Be No Turning Back

       20. Anticipate Danger in Times of Peace

       21. Adopt Others’ Thoughts as Though They Were Your Own

       22. Boundaries Change with the Passing of Time

       23. Nothing Remains Good or Bad Forever

       24. Embrace Your Bright Future

       25. Know When to Cut Your Losses

       26. Strive to Understand the Big Picture

       27. Nothing in Life Lasts Forever

       28. Travel Far, Keep Searching

       29. Life is a Floating Dream

       30. The Journey is Long

       Acknowledgements