Reading between the lines

The MAN Hong Kong International Literary Festival - 'The lit festival where you'll have the best chance of sleeping with your favourite literary superstar'!?

No, this isn't the government's latest effort to get people to read more, but, according to festival director Nury Vittachi, there may well be some truth in the slogan.

'Well, a lot of the venues where we hold events - the Foreign Correspondents' Club, the Fringe Club - have bars in them.

'Just because of the ambiance and how the festival is, there's a lot more access. It's not uncommon for audience members to go off for a drink or dinner with the writers after events.

'Now, of course, we never ask what happens after dinner.'

He told CitySeen the zaniness usually begins with the Literary Tour of Wan Chai. 'It begins at the Luk Kwok Hotel and it's a legitimate literary thing to do because both Suzy Wong and Slow Boat to China were written there,' said Vittachi.

'It's just that it usually ends up at the girly bars in the red-light district.'

The tour was briefly suspended for this year's festival, but Vittachi promised that, due to popular demand, it has been reinstated for the coming festival, which will run from March 7 to 15.