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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.
Rare book dealer Peter Harrington has shops in London and New York. Photo: Handout
Collecting

Investing in rare books is trending – including among celebrities

Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg are among today’s collectors of rare books, as buyers seek meaningful, tangible literary treasures.

Profile

Nancy Kwan’s enduring legacy – interview

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Architecture and design

3 eye-catching interior design pieces to elevate your home

Science fiction

Opinion | Why Asimov’s Foundation series still resonates in the AI era

Social engineering: why Elon Musk, Nobel Prize winners and cult leaders are all obsessed with Asimov’s Foundation.

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Actor Jared Harris (centre) plays mathemetician Hari Seldon, seen here with Leah Harvey and Lou Llobell, in the Foundation TV series. Photo: Apple TV+
American cinema

Stand by Me at 40: the tragic legacy of Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age masterpiece

This landmark of 1980s cinema is a bittersweet experience when watched today, with two of its biggest talents lost to tragic deaths.

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Christopher Nolan

Opinion | What Nolan’s Odysseus tells us about Western elite’s existential angst

The film’s reinterpreted Homeric hero represents a contemporary reckoning with the West’s ruthless pursuit of power and disregard for boundaries.

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Food and Drinks

She’s both a baker and a psychologist, creating recipes to make your life better

Helen Goh talks about combining the two sides of her life in her cookbook ‘Baking and the Meaning of Life’, which won a James Beard award.

Helen Goh in the kitchen. Photo: John Davis
American cinema

How did Snow Flower and the Secret Fan become such an ambitious failure?

Wayne Wang’s 2011 film blends past and present, but despite its ambition and talent, it struggled to resonate with audiences.

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Crime

Man who stabbed Salman Rushdie convicted in US terrorism trial

Already serving a 25-year state prison sentence for the attack, Hadi Matar now faces a potential life sentence for the federal conviction.

Crime

Rushdie attacker declines to testify in US terror trial

Already serving 25 years for state attempted murder, Hadi Matar faces life in prison if convicted on federal charges.

Novelist Salman Rushdie was left blind in one eye after the 2022 attack. Photo: AP
Fame and celebrity

Obituary | Asia mourns Japanese mystery novelist Keigo Higashino, who died at 68

Fans took to social media to mourn the death of Higashino, who published more than 100 books.

Japanese mystery author Keigo Higashino died on July 28 in Tokyo. Fans took to social media to mourn him and celebrate his works. Photo: Kyodo
Pets

As I see it | How the death of Argos, Odysseus’ faithful dog, still haunts us

The quiet, devastating reunion of master and dog, recently given the Hollywood treatment, remains one of the most poignant scenes in Western literature.

American cinema

Planet of the Apes at 25: why Tim Burton’s sci-fi remake was a confusing mess

The 2001 film with Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth and Helena Bonham Carter featured a muddled script and awkward callbacks to the 1968 original.

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Hong Kong culture

Obituary | How scholar Ackbar Abbas changed the way people thought about Hong Kong

Abbas, whose concepts such as ‘déjà disparu’ are still used to explain how Hong Kong feels from the inside, died on July 13 at the age of 84.

Ackbar Abbas (right) and his third wife, Liu Sola (left), at their home in Beijing. Abbas, a scholar who profoundly influenced Hong Kong arts and academia with his work, has died aged 84. Photo: Chang Yung-ho
Food and Drinks

‘Piece of history’: old cookbook exhibition traces Hong Kong’s culinary past

‘Treasured Recipes’ at PMQ Taste Library features food-themed books and magazines spanning decades to show how the city’s food scene evolved.

A copy of Lisa Yam’s World, a Hong Kong cooking magazine popular in the 1980s and 1990s, features in “Treasured Recipes”, an exhibition at PMQ Taste Library that traces Hong Kong’s rich culinary heritage through food-themed literature. Photo: PMQ Taste Library
Food and Drinks

Hong Kong’s PMQ offers fresh perspectives on culinary traditions

The ‘Treasured Recipes’ exhibition by Michael Lui Ka-chun showcases influential cookbooks and other interesting pieces of gastronomic literature.

Hong Kong society

Editorial | Hong Kong Book Fair offers hope for a future full of reading

The city’s annual book fair plays an important role in boosting reading and sales, and its success suggests the appeal of reading will endure.

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Crime

Terrorism trial opens in stabbing of author Salman Rushdie

This is the second trial for Hadi Matar, who was earlier found guilty of attempted murder after attacking the writer on a state in New York.

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Hadi Matar walks into Chautauqua County court in Mayville, New York, in May 2025. Photo: AP

As I see it | How an obscure psychologist reshaped the Homeric hero

Scheming Odysseus may have been the first modern man with a self-directing mental life while other archaic heroes blindly obeyed the gods.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong Book Fair: early birds slam chaotic queues to meet girl band Collar

‘This was my first time at the book fair, and it has been deeply disappointing,’ one fan says on opening day for city’s annual book fair.

Chinese culture

‘I never felt ready’: author on finally writing her Chinese grandmother’s story

Elizabeth Lim reveals why it took her 10 years to write Fishbone Cinderella about her grandmother’s journey from Hong Kong to San Francisco.

Elizabeth Lim is known widely for her young adult high fantasies such as Six Crimson Cranes (2021) and Spin the Dawn (2022). Now, the New York Times bestselling author is making a deliberate, maturity-driven pivot for her newest novel Fishbone Cinderella (2026). Photo: Adrian Ow.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

6 surprising facts from Jet Li’s new book, including his near-death moment

From his many names to dishwasher woes, Beyond Life and Death shares things about the Chinese martial artist fans may not have been aware of.

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In his new book Beyond Life and Death: The Way of True Freedom, Li says he has always been searching for his true self, and finally found it through practising Tibetan Buddhism. He wrote the book to share the spiritual benefits of these practices. Photo: handout
Taylor Swift

Meet the Paisleys, whose non-profit is backed by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

Kimberly Williams-Paisley starred on ABC TV series According to Jim, while Brad Paisley was a successful country music singer in the 2000s … who knew Tay-Tay before she was famous.

Travel

A new literary festival in a tiny French village has a Hong Kong connection

Michelle Garnaut, founder of M at the Fringe in Hong Kong, has launched a festival in France blending literature, music and community spirit.

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Author Eiko Kadono is 91, loves pink and never tires of writing

Eiko Kadono has written 200 books and does not intend to stop. One of her stories, Kiki’s Delivery Service, became a Studio Ghibli anime hit.

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Eiko Kadono, the author of Kiki’s Delivery Service, in Kamakura, Japan, in June 2026. Photo: AP/Ayaka McGill
Hong Kong politics

Taiwan’s leader pays tribute to Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee after his death

‘I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who care about freedom and democracy in Hong Kong,’ William Lai says in Facebook post.

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Lam Wing-kee in 2016. He said he had been kidnapped and blindfolded at the border and subsequently held in solitary confinement. Photo: Robert Ng
Hong Kong national security law

Hong Kong national security police arrest 2 bookshop owners over alleged sedition

Hunter Bookstore owners, former district councillor Leticia Wong and local man arrested on suspicion of committing acts with seditious intent.

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Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for June 25-27

Phnom Penh’s Sora pops up at Terrible Baby, Bangkok’s Sundry takes over Friday After Class, and Shakespeare-inspired Madara cocktails land at Alibi.

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