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.
‘The Xi Xi Space’: a memorial to one of Hong Kong’s most prolific authors
‘The Xi Xi Space’: a memorial to one of Hong Kong’s most prolific authors
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](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/02/1574eaf8-c831-4440-b32d-836498a31c77_e77890ad.jpg)
Steve Brusatte, author of international bestseller The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (2018), will also be speaking at the festival.
![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](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/02/5a7037d1-d8e6-41ad-a7c3-2244c62540e4_c7092b25.jpg)
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](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/02/92f2acd5-a892-4454-a42b-bee1d36f5021_e1975721.jpg)
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.
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](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/02/1660448d-440a-4f84-ab3b-d8e455033dc6_4014bfec.jpg)
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.