The Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF) is proud to announce its landmark 25th anniversary programme, set to unfold in March 2026. This milestone edition will feature an extraordinary gathering of local and international literary talent and an expanded footprint across the city.
Open to the public, the Festival will run from 1 to 8 March, promising an unforgettable week of literary discussions, workshops and unique cultural experiences. The Young Readers Festival (YRF) school program will take place from 2 to 13 March, spanning two school weeks. The programme will feature international speakers from 2 to 6 March, followed by local speakers from 9 to 13 March. Tickets will go on sale on Eventbrite at the end of January.
Click to Gallery
Hernán Diaz
Hu Anyan
Arshay Cooper
Amitav Ghosh
Marga Ortigas
Young Reader's Festival
This silver anniversary celebration will feature over 60 events spanning the entire city across Hong Kong's most iconic venues, from the Central Library and Asia Society to the Fringe Club, China Club and vibrant spaces in Soho House. The programme includes literary lunches, workshops, illustration showcases and unique cultural walks, alongside sessions featuring speakers from the International Writers Workshop (IWW) in collaboration with Hong Kong Baptist University, ensuring a rich experience for bibliophiles of all ages.
The Festival experience extends beyond panels into the heart of the city with immersive cultural events. Some not-to-miss events include a mural walk with artist Alexandra Unrein, Central Walk with Yung Sau-mui of Hong Kong Open Printshop, a delightful trivia night on the topic of Hong Kong pop culture, and special poetry events featuring Peel Street Poetry and Outloud.
Hernán Diaz
Argentine-American writer Hernán Diaz brings his brilliant and genre-defying masterpiece, Trust, to the Festival. An immediate literary sensation and winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the novel deconstructs the myth of American capitalism through the competing narratives of a mysterious financier and his wife in 1920s New York. A bold and intricate examination of truth, power and the stories that shape the world, the book was hailed as "exhilarating" by The New York Times and named one of the top 100 best books of the 21st Century as well as one of Barack Obama's favourite books of 2022.
Hu Anyan
Celebrated writer Hu Anyan shares his poignant, sharply observed debut, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, a runaway bestseller born from essays he began sharing online during China's COVID lockdowns.
This book is a product of an extraordinary personal history: before becoming a literary sensation, Hu spent two decades navigating the precarious gig economy, working 19 different jobs across Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Shanghai, and Beijing. These roles, from a 996-shift bicycle salesman in Shanghai and a night-shift logistics worker in Guangdong to a security guard and gas station attendant, immersed him in the relentless rhythms and financial insecurity that define modern blue-collar working life for millions. Through observations of different social landscapes, he transforms his experiences into delicate prose, creating the book.
I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is a work of social observation based on his specific experience as a courier in Beijing, during which he delivered packages across the vast, impersonal metropolis. It offers an unforgettable portrait of a city in hyperdrive, revealing the punishing arithmetic of working-class jobs, where each minute had a monetary value, leading him to skip lunches and avoid water to minimise toilet breaks. It also navigates the profound human connections and disconnections within China's digital economy and gives voice to the unseen millions who keep it running.
Arshay Cooper
Join celebrated author and athlete Arshay Cooper — known for A Most Beautiful Thing and his newest book Let Me Be Real With You: Inspiring Stories of Hope, Grit and Redemption for a dynamic conversation with writer Bonnie Tsui, author of On Muscle and Why We Swim, for a talk on "The Science and Soul of Strength." Cooper brings powerful stories of rowing as a pathway to resilience, brotherhood and social change, while Tsui explores the science of muscle and the timeless human pull toward water. Together, they dive into how movement, especially in and on the water, shapes identity, fosters belonging, and strengthens both body and spirit. Perfect for sports lovers and readers fascinated by how physicality, water and narrative combine to move people forward.
The "Fame, Fiction, and the Age of Online Judgment" session brings together three up-and-coming authors focused on online culture. In a world where every misstep becomes a headline and every opinion can spark a storm, how do writers make sense of celebrity and cancel culture? In this provocative conversation, Liann Zhang dissects the pressures placed on women in the public eye and the narratives that shape or distort their reputations via her explosive debut thriller, Julie Chan is Dead.
In his satirical and tart art-world caper, Appreciation by Australian author Liam Pieper is a sarcastic commentary on the hypocrisies of the global art market, exploring how adoration can turn into backlash overnight. In Siang Lu's Ghost Cities, which won Australia's highest literary award, the Miles Franklin Award, Lu examines digital obsession, influencer culture and the surreal landscapes where online perception becomes more real than life itself. In a Saturday afternoon panel on 7 March, Zhang, Pieper and Lu unpack how fiction can illuminate the spectacle, scrutiny and fragility of being seen in a hyper-connected age.
Amitav Ghosh, one of the world's most influential literary voices, joins the Festival for a significant conversation centered on his latest work, Ghost Eye. Drawing on a body of work that spans fiction, history and climate writing, Ghosh reflects on how Ghost-Eye brings together vision, memory and moral reckoning to confront the forces shaping the contemporary world. This story intricately weaves together history, mystery and the supernatural, transporting readers to the haunting landscapes of 1960s India. With his signature blend of humour, wisdom and imagination, Ghosh crafts a narrative that is both gripping and thought-provoking.
Amitav Ghosh
From the Booker-shortlisted Sea of Poppies to landmark non-fiction including The Great Derangement and The Nutmeg's Curse, his writing has transformed how literature engages with empire, ecology and global history. Translated into more than thirty languages, Ghosh is the first English-language recipient of India's Jnanpith Award and the 2024 Erasmus Prize laureate. This event offers a rare opportunity to hear a master writer reflect on a career-defining work.
Marga Ortigas
For those seeking a refreshingly honest and empowering conversation, one of the Festival's literary lunches featuring Marga Ortigas's collection of experiential essays is guaranteed to be an unforgettable inspiration. As a former CNN and Al Jazeera journalist and self-proclaimed "unprepared Gen-Xer,” WTF? Women Turning Fifty is a series of savagely personal “postcards,” a collection of personal essays and cultural critique, exploring the intricate relationship between societal timelines, personal fulfilment, and midlife awakening.
For those with an appetite for artistry, community and the quiet poetry of morning rituals, Michael Zee's Zao Fan: Breakfast of China promises to be a true feast for the senses.
Join the creator behind the global Instagram phenomenon @symmetrybreakfast for a literary breakfast, a session of meaningful dialogue over Cantonese yum cha. While savouring the flavours, Zee will share the story behind the book, winner of the Fortnum & Mason Cookery Book Award 2025.
Having eaten his way around China to discover the best versions of morning delicacies, Zao Fan invites readers to recreate his experiences at home, and demonstrates how the shared act of breakfast can become a profound, daily expression of care and identity.
Beyond this, the Festival is honoured to present a remarkable roster of international and regional authors, including Tash Aw, internationally acclaimed novelist and author of The South, Susan Barker, award winning author of Old Soul, Felicia Low-Jimenez, bestselling Singaporean Young Adult novelist, Ho Yeon Kim, a million-copy seller of beloved Korean novel The Second Chance Convenience Store and Thammika Songkaeo, author of Stamford Hospital.
Young Reader's Festival, running from 2-13 March, promotes literacy education through engaging author talks and workshops for students and young people across Hong Kong. Partnering with local and international children's book authors, YRF encourages young readers to engage with literature and creative writing. This year's festival will host Dean Stuart, author of Cassi and the House of Memories, Bonnie Pang, author of My Unique Friend, Wesley King, New York Times best-selling author of the Wizenard series, Soyoung Park, Author of Snowglobe and the literary duo, A.J. Low, best-selling authors of the
Young Reader's Festival
Sherlock Sam series, alongside 26 other acclaimed speakers, a poetry competition and a student story slam.
Among the celebrated voices joining the festival is Rashmi Sirdeshpande, an award-winning children's author who writes with empathy and poetic insight. With a background in law and a passion for storytelling that empowers, Sirdeshpande crafts narratives that help young readers explore identity, history and belonging. She is the author of the much-loved This Is Who I Am, a lyrical and resonant picture book about a girl with Indian heritage discovering the rich, multifaceted story of who she is. Celebrated in The Guardian's Best Children's Books of 2025, the book affirms the idea that identity is shaped by many interconnected influences. Through heartfelt writing and thoughtful reflection, Sirdeshpande invites children to see themselves fully and to celebrate the stories that shape them.
"A city without a literary festival is a community missing out on the celebration of stories and culture, as well as countless conversations. The HKILF and YRF are driven by our mission to champion stories, words, and language. We've been doing this for 25 wonderful years and hope to continue for another 25 and beyond. We love sharing the vibrance of Hong Kong's writing scene with our international speakers, and believe in the impact literacy has to deepen knowledge and human connection each time our attendees turn a page to discover something new, or pick up a pen, inspired to share their unique voices,” says Executive Director of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, Laura Mannering.
This year's key visual features artwork by Sharmaine Kwan that pays homage to Hong Kong's vibrant neon lights and dynamic, storied culture.
