Campus Digest

HKBU welcomes renowned novelist Ms Li Ang as Writer-in-Residence

31 Mar 2015

HKBU welcomes Ms Li Ang as Writer-in-Residence HKBU welcomes Ms Li Ang as Writer-in-Residence
HKBU welcomes Ms Li Ang as Writer-in-Residence

 

The International Writers’ Workshop of HKBU held a Welcome Reception yesterday (30 March) to greet Ms Li Ang, renowned novelist from Taiwan, and introduce her to the audience as this year’s Writer-in-Residence.

 

Li Ang will reside at HKBU in April and May and will conduct public lectures, talks and a workshop on fiction writing to share her experience in creative writing with tertiary teachers and students, local writers as well as the public.

 

Addressing the audience, Li Ang said she would give the handwritten manuscript of the first chapter of her new novel to HKBU as a token of thanks and looks forward to enjoying Hong Kong’s culinary delights. She also hoped that there would be more dialogue and exchange between Hong Kong and Taiwan in the future.

 

By the age of 16, Li Ang published her first short story Flower Season, which quickly increased her stature in Taiwan’s literary circles. Among Taiwan’s third-generation writers, Li Ang is the most controversial female author. Her choice of subject matter receives a great deal of attention and is the subject of many discussions. Since The Secular World novel series was published, Li Ang’s novels have focused on the bold descriptions of sexuality. Later, Li Ang began examining the intertwining of gender and politics in her writing, and opened up new dimensions of gender writing in literature. The Butcher’s Wife, a novella which has been translated into about 10 different languages and gained the attention of various international scholars, caused controversy within Taiwan’s literary circles and established Li Ang’s status and position. 

 

Her other works have also been translated into French, German, Czech, Japanese, Korean, etc. In addition to being a novelist, Li Ang is also a gastronome. She has published several collections of food essays in recent years.

 

Li Ang received the Laiho Literary Award in 2001, The Chevalier de L’ordre des Arts des Lettres in 2004, and was awarded the Wu San-lien Literary Award in 2012.

 

During her stay, Li Ang will conduct two public talks, including a talk on “Sexuality and Power” (17 April, 3pm, Room RRS 905, Sir Run Run Shaw Building, Ho Sin Hang Campus) and another on “Food Writing and the Memory of One’s Country” (19 April, 11 am, Lecture Theatre, Hong Kong Central Library, Causeway Bay).

 

For details on the Writer-in-Residence activities, please refer to the website iww.hkbu.edu.hk.