Hong Kong's literary festival offers a packed programme of foreign and local writers

Now in its 14th year, the Hong Kong International Literary Festival is a well-established fixture on the local calendar and this year sees writers from the mainland, Singapore, India, the US and Britain joining the city's authors for 10 days of bookish fun beginning on Friday.

Tickets for the opening event - a gala dinner with headlining author Kate Adie - are already sold out, but almost all other events are still available. "I'm excited about the number of North American authors we have coming, and excited there is so much fiction and a lot on modern Asia - Hong Kong, China and Japan," says Jessie Cammack, the festival's new manager.

The festival runs over two weekends, with plenty of events on the weekdays. The programming is split into six themes: Intrigue and Espionage; Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Comics; Sex and Feminism; Historical Fiction; Asia, China, Hong Kong; and First World War.

There are many events priced at HK$135, although tickets for the more popular programmes with high-calibre line-ups see prices rise to about HK$450; more if food is involved. "We are a charity and we welcome donations. People have been very supportive and we've also got lots of great volunteers this year. I'm excited to see so many people getting involved," says Cammack.

Here's a look at the big names attending the festival.

One of Britain's best-known journalists, Adie is a veteran war correspondent. As a flak-jacketed blonde, she reported on many of the big international crises of the late 20th century, including the Gulf war, the Falklands conflict, Libya, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Her first book, The Kindness of Strangers (2002), is an account of her work as a reporter; it was followed by Nobody's Child: The Lives of Abandoned Children (2005); Into Danger (2008), a study of men and women who risk their lives for work; and most recently Fighting on the Home Front, which explores the impact of the first world war on the role of women in Britain. Tickets to both of her events are sold out.