Then & NowHas Hong Kong ever truly been home to any famous writers?

For a place that can appear defiantly philistine, Hong Kong has regularly hosted well-attended literary events. From the late 19th century onwards, these affairs have typically been structured around a combined book signing and drinks party, where the author would also give a lecture (of sorts) on their latest title’s general subject matter. Depending on the individual’s public-speaking skills and overall personality, this event could be entertaining, fascinating and eagerly discussed for weeks afterwards, or memorable only for the utter time-wasting tedium that sitting through it involved. Few first-rate writers are also top-flight orators, and vice versa; those fortunate persons whose talents combine a decent measure of both skill sets are already far ahead of the pack in terms of commercial success.

Venues vary considerably. Literary events offered by local cultural entities are often held in private clubs, or a lecture room provided through personal connections, with admission restricted to the particular group’s members and their guests. In earlier times, an auditorium at the University of Hong Kong, City Hall or the British Council was sometimes made available for certain authors; these gatherings were usually open to the general public.

In his entertaining novel The Road (1959), set in a thinly disguised, unnamed but recognisable Hong Kong, author Austin Coates describes a scene in which his principal character, Sylvia, gives a wildly successful public lecture at the British Council. Beautiful, articulate and world-famous for her sexy autobiographical novel, The Chasm, Coates’ literary creation – who, somewhat implausibly, lived in the colony – was an imaginative combination of the novelists Emily Hahn and Han Suyin (who had both lived in Hong Kong briefly), and the curious personality of Coates himself.