Miles Johnson, Diana Reid, Fuchsia Dunlop: Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2024’s line-up is as impressive as it is eclectic

Palaeontologist and Jurassic Park film consultant Steve Brusatte will speak, along with British food author Fuchsia Dunlop and Seeing Other People’s Diana Reid
Gigi Chang, who worked on ‘China’s Lord of the Rings’, Kingdom of Characters’ Jing Tsu, and Nguyen Phan Que Mai on International Women’s Day will all attend

Books and literature

Kylie Knott

Published: 5:15pm, 5 Feb 2024

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Storytelling is a powerful tool that helps people connect and communicate. It can also be a catalyst for change.

That’s why events such as the Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF), which nurture the art of storytelling, are so important.

To be held at various venues citywide from March 4 to 10, the 2024 festival – now in its 23rd year – has attracted emerging and established writers covering a variety of genres, from cooking, fantasy and science to books for children.

HKILF executive director Laura Mannering is excited about what she says will be another stellar event. “The week-long programme has literary inspiration for all, from fantasy to history to food to family fun and workshops.”

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The guest list is impressive.

Sydney-based author Diana Reid, whose 2021 debut novel Love & Virtue was an instant bestseller, will talk about her follow-up hit novel, Seeing Other People (2022).

Sydney-based author Diana Reid will talk about her novel, “Seeing Other People” at this year’s HKILF. Photo: HKILF

Steve Brusatte, author of international bestseller The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (2018), will also be speaking at the festival.

The evolutionary biologist has a few claims to fame, including having discovered more than a dozen species of vertebrate fossil. Fun fact: he was also part of the consulting team of palaeontologists to work on the 2022 film Jurassic World Dominion, the sixth instalment in the Jurassic Park series.

Food is well represented, with British writer Fuchsia Dunlop discussing her latest book, Invitation to a Banquet (2023), which explores Chinese culinary culture, with each chapter focusing on a classic dish.

Word by Word bookshop owner Michael Lui Ka-chun, who will feature at the festival, at his book store in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

And Hong Kong’s Michael Lui Ka-chun, founder of Word by Word, the city’s first food-themed bookstore, will share his insights.

At Soho House, Miles Johnson will up the energy with a talk on his latest book, Chasing Shadows (2023), a thrilling tale of terrorism and the global drugs trade.

Shining a light on some of the unsung heroes who have literally helped shape Hong Kong is Raymond Fung Wing-kee, an architect who will talk about his book Untold Stories: Hong Kong Architecture (2024).

Miles Johnston will talk about his latest book, Chasing Shadows, a thrilling tale of global drugs and terrorism, as part of the 2024 HKILF. Photo: HKILF

Gigi Chang, a respected translator known for her work on Jin Yong’s popular martial arts series, Condor – referred to as “China’s Lord of the Rings” – will also speak, while Jing Tsu joins the festival to talk about her highly acclaimed book Kingdom of Characters (2022), which investigates the language revolution that has shaped modern China.

To mark International Women’s Day, on March 8, Vietnamese writer Nguyen Phan Que Mai will talk about her bestselling novels, The Mountains Sing (2020) and Dust Child (2023).

Running parallel with the HKILF is the Hong Kong International Young Readers Festival (YRF) Schools Programme.

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Vietnamese poet and novelist Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai will speak about her bestselling novels, The Mountains Sing and Dust Child. Photo: Tapu Javeri

For HKILF tickets, visit eventbrite.hk/cc/hong-kong-international-literary-festival-2024-3015569.

To see a full list of YRF events and for booking, visit festival.org.hk/programme/2024-young-readers-festival.

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