The 'great' HongKong novel is probably still to be written. But for a definitiveaccount of what the people of the city live by and die for, look nofurther than David T. K. Wong. At last a native son hascaptured brilliantly the essence of a unique society. A range ofcharacters, from barmen to laborers, from scholars to wealthybusinessman, infuse these memorable stories with the dreams andconcerns of those living in a British colony turned into a specialadministrative region of China. These stories are carefullycrafted in the grand tradition of O. Henry, Maugham and Saki. Theycan be dipped into and savored over time or devoured in one sitting.But in whichever way they are read, they are filled with insightsinto the soul of one of the greatest cities in the world.
David T. K. Wong was born in Hong Kong and has degrees in political science and journalism from Stanford. His short stories have appeared in magazines in the United States, Britain, Hong Kong and other Asian countries. Many of his stories have been broadcast by BBC Radio in Britain, RTHK in Hong Kong and other stations in Ireland, Holland and Belgium. He is the founder of the annual David T. K. Wong Fellowship in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in the UK. He is now resident in Malaysia and is currently working on the third volume of his family memoirs. His website is at http://davidtkwong.net/.
David T. K. Wong sends us on exciting journeys between East and West and challenges our perceptions of what has been gained and what could be lost in the process ... An exceptional read. Pam Fraser Solomon, Senior Producer, Short Stories, BBC Radio 4 Wong is an exceptionally fluent writer whose compelling stories cover a wide range of themes. His talent sparkles, inveigles and mesmerizes. Sylvia Tankel, Editor of Short Stories International Clean, direct and subtly understated... an instinctive grasp of the short-story formula. South China Morning Post David T. K. Wongs prose, spare and clean, occasionally rises to eloquence. Sometimes I found myself pausing to replay a paragraph, marvelling at how nicely he lays words down on the page. For English readers starved for something more penetrating than tourist-snap fiction, this writer comes across as a convincing storyteller. Joel McCormick, Window magazine Wong has been hailed as a Hong Kong voice in English. Perhaps most impressive of all is Wongs studied refusal to sensationalise a culture chiefly known to fiction for its flamboyant characters and settings. Robert McCrum, The Observer The author has a delightful ability to find the extraordinary in ordinary people. Sunday Standard
