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Books and literature

Books and literature
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Books and literature. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Bot Catinat, the former Catinat Police Station, after it had been transformed into the South Vietnamese Interior Ministry, Ho Chi Minh City, 1965. Photo: Getty Images
Asia travel

Seeking the Saigon described in Graham Greene’s Quiet American

Unearthing the Vietnamese city that the English author knew and described in The Quiet American, which turns 70 this year.

Hong Kong

This week in PostMag: HK’s underground ballroom scene and Chinese fine dining

James Bond

Short stories by 007 writer Ian Fleming, Graham Greene see the light

Crime

Man who stabbed Salman Rushdie sentenced to 25 years in prison

Hadi Matar charged on stage and attacked the novelist, partially blinding him, during an event in New York in 2022.

Hadi Matar arrives at Chautauqua County Courthouse in Mayville, New York, for his sentencing on Friday. Photo: AFP
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | A Pale View of Hills: Suzu Hirose, Fumi Nikaido in Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation

Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Kei Ishikawa’s film moves adroitly between the 1950s and 1980s as a writer probes her family history.

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Fashion

Singapore-born fashion designer Prabal Gurung’s amazing life in new memoir

The Met Gala mainstay’s new book, Walk Like a Girl, reflects on his roots in Singapore and Nepal, a tough childhood, and runway success.

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Hong Kong society

Annual Hong Kong book fair bans 3 exhibitors ‘without explanation’

Bbluesky Publishing and Boundary Bookstore say they earlier received notices that their applications for July’s fair had been rejected.

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The annual Hong Kong Book Fair is held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai in July. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Spain

He ‘didn’t really know’ his mum before. After their 700km walk, he does

Tobias Schlegl’s relationship with his mother, though warm, lacked real depth – until they set out together on a historic pilgrimage route.

Wellness

Do you struggle to find joy? Tips on how to do so and common ‘joy blockers’

Dr MaryCatherine McDonald, author of The Joy Reset, explains how important joy is for emotional resilience and how to gently reawaken it.

Icons and Influencers

Designer Peter Som turns from fashion to cooking with new book Family Style

The New York designer was inspired by his Chinese grandma’s notebook of recipes; his cookbook presents dishes marrying big flavours with a pinch of fashion flair, delivered with his trademark humour.

Renowned as a designer of clothes that are stylish and fun, Peter Som is now bringing equal flair to cookery with Family Style, a book inspired by his Chinese grandmother’s recipes. Photo: Yumi Matsuo
South Korea

A peek inside Nobel Prize winner Han Kang’s new book, Light and Thread

Consisting of 12 essays and poems, Light and Thread is Han’s first book since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in October 2024.

Han Kang, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2024, is the author of a number of acclaimed books including The Vegetarian, Human Acts and We Do Not Part. Photo: AFP
Celebrity Families

Meet Richard Lawson, ex-husband of Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles

The pair were introduced by Lawson’s sister – Tina’s best friend – and knew each other for decades before getting together and marrying in southern California.

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Auctions

To buy or not to buy? Sotheby’s puts Shakespeare’s folios under the hammer

For the first time since 1898, Shakespeare’s First, Second, Third and Fourth Folios will be auctioned in a single lot – by Sotheby’s London on May 23.

American cinema

Suzie Wong star Nancy Kwan looks back on her life and breaking barriers

In her memoir The World of Nancy Kwan, the actress who was born in Hong Kong tells her story of being Asian in Hollywood in a different era.

Nancy Kwan in a still from the 1960 movie The World of Suzie Wong. She looks back on her life and on breaking barriers as an Asian in Hollywood in her new memoir, The World of Nancy Kwan.
Tourism

Weimar, the German city rich in literary and architectural history

Few European cities have a history as culturally rich as Weimar, once home to Goethe, a giant of world literature.

Weimar, in Germany, is known for its cultural heritage. Photo: Getty Images

Review | Say hello to another great Gatsby, Jay’s sister Greta, in The Gatsby Gambit

F. Scott Fitzgerald classic is riffed on by Claire Anderson-Wheeler, with Jay Gatsby’s sister Greta looking into the death of Tom Buchanan.

China consumption

China’s sci-fi industry shoots for stars as Beijing pushes ‘quality’ growth

With successes like The Three-Body Problem, the genre has never been more popular – and authorities have taken note.

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Space

Spacewalks? Summiting Mount Everest? Scott Parazynski’s done both

From Nasa missions to scaling Everest, Scott Parazynski shares his inspiring journey – and his advice for adventurers on how to succeed.

Ex-Nasa astronaut Scott Parazynski in Hong Kong. Parazynski is the first person to have both flown in space and summited Mount Everest. He shares his journey, and advice for would-be adventurers. Photo: Nora Tam
LGBTQ

Transgender writer had to learn how to be a man. Now he’s coaching you

With his book No One Taught Me How to Be a Man, trans man Shannon T.L. Kearns is hoping he can help redefine manhood in a healthy way.

Fame and celebrity

Who is Weezer bassist Scott Shriner’s wife Jillian Lauren – who just got shot?

Lauren – who wrote Behold the Monster: Confronting America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer – was shot by police in LA this week, before being arrested and released on a US$1 million bond.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Carey Mulligan’s military brother, Owain Mulligan – who just wrote a memoir

The Oscar-nominated actress’ older brother has just released a darkly funny memoir about his time in the British Army, which already has ringing endorsements from John Oliver and Richard E. Grant.

Meet Carey Mulligan’s ex-military brother, Owain Mulligan, who just released a memoir. Photos: Greyhound Literary; AP
Music

Review | Beatles book takes deep dive into the Lennon-McCartney relationship

Ian Leslie relies on other Beatles books, gossip and interpreting lyrics to try to define the relationship between band’s writing partners.

The Beatles (from left): Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison, circa 1964. Photo: Getty Images
Fame and celebrity

One of the greatest American writers set to publish first novel in 12 years

Set in the American city of Milwaukee in 1932, Thomas Pynchon’s new book Shadow Ticket is his first since 2013’s Bleeding Edge.

US-China relations

Ex-Facebook exec tells lawmakers that Meta briefed China on US AI efforts

‘Careless People’ author Sarah Wynn-Williams accuses the company of betraying American values to win Beijing’s favour and grow its business.

Art

Film director Ridley Scott brings his artist’s eye to graphic novel

Modville was pitched to Scott’s company by creator Jesse Negron. Scott, an artist himself, lent his visual talents to the project.

A frame from Modville. Photo: Instagram/@mechanicalcaketv

6 good reads about privilege, from The Great Gatsby to Crazy Rich Asians

A Wall Street satire by Tom Wolfe. Edith Wharton’s jab at high society. Six books that offer a sense of escape yet are strangely relatable.

A still from Crazy Rich Asians (2018). Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
Art

Victor Hugo art exhibition in London shows writer’s love of drawing

Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo highlights the famous French writer’s love of drawing in a show of 70 of his illustrations.

Women and gender

Japanese novel about a serial killer hailed as feminist overseas

Asako Yuzuki’s Butter, thought of as a crime novel in Japan, is celebrated in UK and elsewhere for exploring misogyny and body shaming.

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