CONVERSATION | Real Humans, Real Stories

Speakers: Mark O'Neill and Susan Blumberg-Kason

Moderator: Pete Spurrier

Date: March 8, Sun

Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm

Venue: Fringe Club - Fringe Underground

Address: Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Rd, Central, Hong Kong

Price: HKD198

Language: English

Format: Conversation

Description:

This event brings together two acclaimed non-fiction authors who uncover the human stories behind Asia’s modern history. Mark O’Neill draws on his research into European communities in Hong Kong, revealing the teachers, traders, and visionaries who helped forge the city’s diverse identity. Susan Blumberg-Kason, in Bernardine’s Shanghai Salon, tells the remarkable story of Bernardine Szold Fritz, a Jewish salon host who built bridges between Chinese artists and expatriates in 1930s Shanghai. Together, O’Neill and Blumberg-Kason explore migration, creativity, and cultural resilience across the cities that have long connected East and West.

About the Speaker:

Mark O'Neill

Mark O’Neill was born in London, England and educated at Marlborough College and New College, Oxford. He worked in Washington, DC, Manchester and Belfast before coming to Hong Kong in 1978. He has lived in Asia ever since. He worked as a journalist for 30 years here, in Taiwan, India, the PRC and Japan, for Reuters, SCMP and many other publications. Since 2006, he has been writing books on Chinese, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau history and society. He has completed 20 so far in English. Eight have been translated into traditional Chinese and three into simplified Chinese. He speaks French, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Susan Blumberg-Kason

Susan Blumberg-Kason is the author of Bernardine’s Shanghai Salon: The Story of the Doyenne of Old China, a 2023 Zibby Awards finalist for Best Book for the History Lover. She is also the author of Good Chinese Wife: A Love Affair with China Gone Wrong and the 2024 Zibby Awards winner, When Friends Come From Afar: The Remarkable Story of Bernie Wong and Chicago’s Chinese American Service League. She is the co-editor of Hong Kong Noir and a regular contributor to the Asian Review of Books, Cha: An Asian Literary Review and World Literature Today. Her work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books and PopMatters.

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•⁠ 3rd March (Tue): On Muscle: The Stuff that Moves Us and Why It Matters (7:00-8:30pm)

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•⁠ ⁠5th March (Thu): Amitav Ghosh: Ghost-Eye (7:00-8:30pm)

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ABOUT HKILF

The Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF) inspires the joy of reading by bringing the world’s writers and stories to Hong Kong’s diverse communities. A dynamic year-round programme and an annual festival offer dialogue, entertainment and perspective, while the Young Readers Festival (YRF) motivates students to engage with all aspects of the written word, improving communication skills, while nurturing the art of writing and storytelling.

The annual festival features established and emerging writers from around the world, alongside local literary talents, in a programme that includes panel discussions, book talks, readings, workshops, walks, school programmes, performances, and more.

We are a registered charity non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing the best in the literary arts to Hong Kong. To find more, please visit our official website: https://www.festival.org.hk.

Please note that:

*We are unable to process refunds, please consider your ticket purchase a donation to the festival.

*Photos and videos of participants may be taken during the activities,which may be used by the organiser and the major sponsor for educational and promotional purposes in any way deemed appropriate, including disseminationthrough printed and online channels. Participation in the programme will constitute the participants’ consent to the above arrangement.

*The views and opinions expressed by the speakers do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Hong Kong International Literary Festival. HKILF disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information shared by the speakers.

*If the Black Rainstorm Warning or the Tropical Cyclone Signal No. 8 or above is in force 3 hours before the start time of an event, the event will be cancelled and participants will receive a refund. If the Red or Yellow Rainstorm Warning or the Tropical Cyclone Signal No. 3 is in effect, the event will be held as scheduled.

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