Highlights of the coming Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2025
Published: 12:45pm, 13 Feb 2025
When US historian Steven Schwankert discovered that six Chinese men had survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912, after it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage, he knew he had to write about it. He was shocked that nobody else had. Ah Lam, Chang Chip, Chung Foo, Fang Lang, Lee Bing, and Ling Hee survived the disaster that killed more than 1,500 of the estimated 2,224 on board. But their ordeal did not end with their rescue. When they reached the US they were not allowed to enter because of the country's anti-Chinese immigration policies.
On March 5, Schwankert – a shipwreck buff and author of Poseidon: China's Secret Salvage of Britain's Lost Submarine (2013) – will talk about the research journey behind his new book, The Six , at an event that is part of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF).
Taking place at venues across the city from March 1 to 8 – and running in conjunction with the Young Readers Festival from February 24 to March 7 – the HKILF has again attracted established and emerging writers from Hong Kong and around the globe.
The packed programme includes book talks, readings, workshops, panel discussions, performances and school programmes. British author and China expert Paul French will host a talk on March 8 about his latest literary offering , Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson, which shines a light on the controversial figure who became famous for changing the course of the British monarchy.
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