Gear Up for the Hong Kong International Literary Festival

The 20th anniversary edition of Hong Kong International Literary Festival will go ahead this year, with Bookazine as official bookshop. In keeping with the times, the 2020 festival will be a hybrid of 70+ live and online events, taking place from 5th – 15th November.

The hybrid format allows the best of both worlds and means people can get their fix of book-related events this autumn, whether November brings us a new wave or a new lease of life. Going virtual has made it possible to bring a wider range of high-profile authors to the festival than ever before, which people can watch at home with their family, friends or book club. At the same time, if you are willing and able to get out of the house, you can catch the live festival buzz at events with local authors and screenings of virtual events at Tai Kwun and Asia Society.

Browse and buy books beforehand on our website and keep an eye out for author announcements from HKILF, with a full festival launch in late September.

If you want more specifics:

This year’s line-up includes high profile authors Kevin Kwan and Frances Cha, two 2020 Booker Prize longlisted authors, Colum McCann and C Pam Zhang; Irish Fiction Laureate, Sebastian Barry; Pulitzer Prize winners Jhumpa Lahiri and Jonathan Kaufman; Vera and Shetland crime series author Ann Cleeves; poet Marilyn Chin, editor of The Atlantic David Frum; historians Thant Myint-U, and William Dalrymple; and journalists Ananth Krishnan, Bob Davis and Lingling Wei. Additionally, there will be a vibrant group of Hong Kong and regional writers and speakers including Chan Koonchung, Dorothy Tse, Kai-Yin Lo, Christine Loh, Elizabeth Sinn and many more.

HKILF’s 20th edition theme ‘Present Tense/Future Perfect’ explores in fiction and non-fiction how the world is responding to issues such as health, inequality and climate change, as well as possible future directions for humanity and the planet. Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott will discuss their latest book, The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World, and panels will examine issues such as the future of US politics and US-China relations, racism in Asia, the world post-COVID-19, and the future of food. Other highlights include a series of book talks and film screenings featuring local filmmakers, and Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee discussing her book, Be Water My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee. Novelist Romesh Guneskera who took part in the first festival in 2001 will join again, and Hong Kong born poet Marilyn Chin and her iconic work, Urban Love Poem, will close the festival, with Chin and local and international poets reading their own urban love poetry.

For more information, visit: https://www.festival.org.hk/