- Annual event begins today and features talks and workshops from more than 70 writers and others in the publishing industry
- Book fans can also attend the Young Readers’ Festival to see Japanese fantasy writer Sachiko Kashiwaba and UK illustrator Emily Gravett
Celebrate your love of reading at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. Photo: ShutterstockMaureen Tai’s fondest childhood memories usually involve three things: her bicycle, the radio and books.
But reading was always the award-winning writer’s favourite pastime. “I’ve read some of my Enid Blyton books 50 or 60 times, possibly because those were the only books I had,” the Hong Kong-based Malaysian author explained, adding that she would save up her allowance to buy books. “There’s so much to know in this world, and so much I don’t know ... the only way I can learn is from what other people have to teach. And that is all through books.”
Reading culture isn’t totally understood in Asia, she said, and many countries need to be more open-minded about simply enjoying a book.
“I find with a lot of Asian cultures, reading is seen as educational ... It’s about language acquisition and knowledge acquisition, and not about the enjoyment of the experience of stories and the world,” said the author, who is also the manager of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF).
This year, the annual event runs from March 6 to 12, overlapping with the Young Readers’ Festival (YRF), another celebration of books and reading. “The aims and objectives of both [the festivals] are similar: the promotion of literacy. And I think the larger vision is to promote a conversation around books and reading,” Tai said.
More than 70 authors will take part in some 100 events, such as walking tours, talks, conversations and workshops.
Tai said that while this year’s festival features many international speakers, it is still a recognition of Hong Kong and has a strong Asian flavour. “It’s a real celebration of not only international authors that have traditionally made up the bulk of the participants, but also Hong Kong talent,” explained the organiser.
For example, “A Cantonese Love Story”, presented by linguists Steven Stephen Matthews and Virginia Yip, will cover life in the city and bilingual education, while “Exploring Hong Kong Urbanscape with New Eyes” features local urbanist Sampson Wong.
Some of the festival’s overseas authors also have Asian roots, such as Vietnamese-American author Violet Kupersmith and award-winning writer Zeno Sworder, born into a Chinese and English family in Australia.
Tai said the organisers of the HKILF spent months talking to different book communities and researching recent literary prize winners to come up with the line-up.
The festival also hopes to open the door to foreign masterpieces that Hongkongers may not have heard of because they haven’t been translated into a language they understand.
“For example, I couldn’t read [local novelist] Dung Kai-cheung’s The Catalog because I don’t read Chinese. But when I finally read the English version of his book – which was written 20 years ago – I was like, ‘How didn’t I know this writer? He’s amazing.’ And I think people [who come to the festival should be exposed to these writers] and come to that same realisation.”
The Hong Kong International Literary Festival runs from March 6-12. More information about the festival and its programmes, including dates and ticket prices, can be found on its website.
The Young Readers Festival runs from March 6-10, featuring speakers like Japanese fantasy writer Sachiko Kashiwaba and UK illustrator Emily Gravett.