Book Lovers of Hong Kong Assemble!

Introducing the 2019 Hong Kong International Literary Festival

The 19th Hong Kong International Literary Festival program is set to delight book lovers. From 1 to 10 November the festival will take place at various venues around Hong Kong and will include a wide range of events including readings, workshops and performances.

HKILF’s director, Fiona Chung, has a clear focus on the festival’s mission. “We’re excited to host such a varied platform for readers and writers to engage with literature and Hong Kong culture. At the same time, we will continue to foster Hong Kong’s literary community and connect it with the world.”

In addition to local talent, the Festival has invited renowned poets, journalists, illustrators, photographers, historians, novelists and performers from Canada, Germany, Singapore, Ireland, the UK, Mexico, Australia, the US and more. Audiences can attend panels, performances, workshops, readings and Q&A sessions.

Come along and support this fantastic Hong Kong event!

Event Highlights & Ticketing

Tickets are available via Ticketflap and more information can be found on the HKILF website here.

• Festival Opening Night –  featuring six-minute stories from eight writers. Their tales are riveting, hilarious, unbelievable—and 100 percent real.
• Gala Dinner with Pico Iyer – Join renowned travel writer Pico Iyer (Autumn Light) as he discusses how we can maintain our sanity and balance when surrounded by weapons of mass distraction, based on his TED book, The Art of Stillness.
• HKILF x Room to Read: Lunch with Markus Zusak – over a decade since its release, The Book Thief continues to dominate conversation. Join author Markus Zusak for lunch as he discusses writing, family and his new book, Bridge of Clay.
• Brunch with Kate Young – Award-winning food blogger Kate Young (The Little Library Cookbook) reveals the process behind her creation of readers’ favourite literary treats as outlined in her upcoming book, The Little Library Year.
• Drone – A multimedia collaboration in a theatre setting between live sound, video projections and the spoken word, Drone is a thrilling forty-five-minute performance of a long-form poem on technology, gender and anxiety by Scottish poet Harry Giles.
• Teacup – Matt Ottley’s picture book Teacup explores life’s big questions in multimedia, moving through themes of hope, beauty and reassurance. Come enjoy a live concert by Ottley!
• Shanghai through the Years – Join author Helen Zia and photographer Liu Heung Shing as they discuss the political turmoil and upheaval that shaped Shanghai throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
• The Looming Shadow of Dystopia – Chen Qiufan (Waste Tide), John Lanchester (The Wall) and Renee Nault (graphic novel adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale) discuss dystopian societies in fiction and reality.
• HKILF x HKFW: Women Writing in HK – Don’t miss this chance to have an in-depth conversation with the remarkable women who, through their creative endeavours, have daringly redefined the boundaries of cultural and gender identities.
• Rhythms of Life – 2018 Australian Slam Poetry Champion Melanie MunungurrWilliams comes together with Metis artist Moe Clark and novelist and music producer Jamie Marina Lau (Pink Mountain on Locust Island) for an exhilarating collaboration of music and the spoken word, opened by local writers Kuffy Ko and Wilson Chik with Life Story.
• Alternative Lifestyles – In a capitalist society where we are always told to want more, fashion journalist Dana Thomas, New Zealand hunter Miriam Lancewood and polar explorer Adrian Hayes all chose to explore alternative lifestyles.
• The Queer Question – Hear from acclaimed LGBT+ writers John Boyne, Harry Giles and Kit Fan as they discuss how and why writing needs the LGBT+ community.
• Reading Presentation by Adults with Disabilities – Following the workshop series led by Hannah Bent and Chessie Henry, come and enjoy the work showcased by these differently-abled voices.
• The Insider’s View of Publishing and Translation – Join Jo Lusby, Yvonne Yu and Bhakti Mathur in their conversation with Page Richards, professor and chair of interdisciplinary theatre and creative writing at the University of Hong Kong, as they tackle your queries about publishing and translating multilingual texts.
• Journalism Workshop – Join celebrated local author, journalist and Festival cofounder Nury Vitacchi (The First of Everything) for an interactive workshop on writing nonfiction and the importance of a free press.
• Emoji Spelling Bee – Fun and creative, Jennifer 8. Lee (The Fortune Cookie Chronicles) offers a modern update on the traditional spelling bee.
• Sunset Industries Walking Tour – Come walking with local author Lindsay Varty (Sunset Survivors) as she provides an insider’s look at the twilight industries of Hong Kong.

Find more fantastic events around Hong Kong in our what’s on guide here!