Jennifer Wong’s summer cicadas, Letters Home, time difference, and Light Year have long been staples of the Nose in the Books collection. Following a very successful poetry reading session at the library in August 2025, we are pleased to invite Jennifer back for an episode of Bookcast HK.Jennifer Wong is a Hong Kong-born poet who lives in the UK. She studied English at Oxford and has an MA and PhD in creative writing from University of East Anglia and Oxford Brookes.In this episode, she recounts the creative process behind her new book, Light Year, while offering a deeply moving contemplation on grief, motherhood, women’s literature and what she beautifully calls ‘radical hope.’Thank you Jennifer!Guest | Jennifer WongModerator | Harmony YuenTechnician | Chu Wai KitTitle | Light YearPublisher | Nine Arches PressISBN | 978-1-916760-32-5👂 Please check our bio for listening to Bookcast HK on different platforms.

水口村位於大嶼山南部，是一條擁有接近 400 年歷史的村落。水口，按字面理解是「河溪連接大海的出水口」。這裏自然生境多樣又連貫，人類的聚落就依傍在山、河、濕地和海之間，不同種類的動植物都在這裏棲居、覓食、成長。《水口手記》一書兩冊，一本聚焦風物，另一本關於人物，由城市日記團隊製作出版。團隊各有所長，平日工作崗位不一，難得聚首一堂，錄製今集Bookcast HK，分享在水口村做文化地景研究的體會，以及書本創作的過程。嘉賓｜黎穎詩博士、蔡志厚、張凱琳、朱煒傑主持｜朱皓澄技術｜朱煒傑書名｜《水口手記》編輯｜黎穎詩博士設計及撰文｜蔡志厚統籌及撰文｜張凱琳、朱皓澄文字編輯｜王家文翻譯｜劉小燕攝影｜朱煒傑、陳浩倫出版｜Integer Foundation AssociationISBN｜978-988-77771-2-0

《偵探冰室》系列至今出版七本書籍，是一部以香港城市為藍本創作的推理小說合集。除了第一本之外，每本都加上特定主題。當七本都推出台灣版本，或者讀者會好奇，香港及台灣兩地同樣都是沿用繁體中文，為何要分港版及台版？今集Bookcast HK，我們邀請了《偵探冰室》系列的台版編輯盧韻亘（亘亘），分享她長期編輯台版的點滴及趣事。她同意「台版」不是為了翻譯而存在，而是基於兩地的文化及語文差異，在編輯時適度改動對應用語，有需要時加入相關詞語的註解，協助台灣讀者更快投入香港語境的推理文本。亘亘說，七年來，隨著台灣的讀者對作者們的廣東話用語愈來愈熟悉，所需的註解亦慢慢減少，笑說自己與台灣讀者一樣，透過書本認識香港更加多。例如她最初見到「樓上書店」一詞，不明所以，於是為這詞加上註解，向台灣讀者介紹這個香港的獨有面貌，不過時至今天，讀者已了解何謂香港的「樓上書店」，如果再遇到有關名字，她會選擇不另作註解。亘亘看到香港的高度城市化、空間狹窄與多文化交會，為香港的推理小說帶來細微且強烈的衝突感，情節具獨特張力，故台灣讀者特別鍾愛香港作家的華文推理作品，樂此不疲。嘉賓｜盧韻亘（亘亘）主持｜葉真真技術｜朱煒傑書名｜《偵探冰室》系列（台版），共七本作者｜陳浩基、譚劍、文善、黑貓C、冒業、望日、莫理斯、柏菲思、騎士丕特二世、馬丹尼、夜透紫編輯｜盧韻亘出版｜蓋亞文化有限公司ISBN｜9789863194651、9789863195016、9789863196013、9789863197027、9786263840584、9786263841383、9786263842595

生於 1769 年的伍秉鑑，是一位出色的行商，在西方商界以「浩官」（Houqua）之名廣為人知。在鴉片戰爭爆發前夕，他被視為當時全球最富有的人之一。自18世紀末，伍秉鑑便在廣州從商。當時清廷規定，廣州是西方商人唯一合法的通商口岸，並規定外國商人只能透過官方認可的行商進行交易。到了19世紀初，他已財雄勢大，一躍成為十三行的龍頭行商。在劍橋大學出版社出版的Global Trade in the Nineteenth Century: The House of Houqua and the Canton System一書中，王迪安教授（Professor John WONG）探討了伍秉鑑遍及全球的商業網絡，包括他與英國東印度公司的貿易、與美國商人的緊密合作關係，以及他開拓海外市場的方式。透過伍秉鑑的故事，王教授展現了更為豐富的廣州貿易世界、領袖商人群體的交流，並挑戰了過往將該時期的中國商人僅為西方重商主義與中國抑商傳統受害者之單一敍事。本書的中文版近期亦已面世。王迪安是香港大學文學院副院長及香港人文社會研究所教授。本集Bookcast HK訪談以廣東話進行。Born in 1769, Wu Bingjian was a leading Hong merchant, known to his Western business partners as Houqua. By the eve of the Opium War, he was regarded as one of the wealthiest persons in the world.Since the mid-18th Century, the Qing government had designated Canton as the only city where Western traders could land, reside, and conduct business. Foreign merchants were required to trade exclusively through licensed Hong merchants.In Global Trade in the Nineteenth Century: The House of Houqua and the Canton System, published by Cambridge University Press, Professor John Wong examines Houqua’s global business network, including his trade with the British East India Company, his close partnerships with American traders, and his strategies for navigating uncharted overseas markets.Through the story of Houqua, Professor Wong presents a richer picture of the Canton trade world and its leading merchants. His research challenges portrayals of Chinese merchants of the period as passive victims of rising Western mercantilism and oppressive Chinese traditions. The book’s Chinese-language edition has recently been published.Professor John Wong is Associate Dean (Undergraduate) at the Faculty of Arts, HKU, and a Professor at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences.This episode of BookcastHK was conducted in Cantonese.Guest | Professor John WONGModerator | Dr Chloe LAITechnician｜ CHU Wai KitTitle | Global Trade in the Nineteenth Century: The House of Houqua and the Canton SystemPublisher | Cambridge University PressISBN | 978-988-8900-87-9

《聽說長洲》由兩位長洲島民余知樂、何光用數年時間製作，記錄他們生活的社區。全書中英對照。兩位作者採訪了25位不同行業、年齡和身份的長洲人，還有長洲冷知識，包括不同的魚網和捕魚方法。本書封面為手繪蔚藍色海浪插圖，以珍珠紙印刷，加上魚網書衣。設計更在第一屆獨立書店推薦賞奪得「書籍設計」冠軍。今集Bookcast HK，我們請來作者之一的余知樂，分享其寫書歷程，帶我們一窺各種面貌的長洲。嘉賓｜余知樂主持｜黎穎詩博士（Chloe）技術｜朱煒傑書名｜《聽說長洲》作者｜何光、余知樂出版｜NousISBN｜978-988-70780-0-5

《蟲鳴之森——超科學昆蟲寓言》由七篇根據不同昆蟲習性寫成的寓言，以及另外七篇昆蟲知識專題組成。本書既介紹生物知識，亦借昆蟲角色之間的戲劇衝突，寫小朋友在成長中的情感起伏。今集Bookcast HK，我們邀請了《蟲鳴之森》的作者及編輯小賴，分享他怎樣開始連載兒童雜誌《良友之聲》上的專欄，從與設計師溝通的趣事，談到確立故事的核心關懷，以至輯印成書的過程。小賴形容，一旦嘗試寫昆蟲，隨即「開眼」，日常目及之處，皆是這些可愛的小生命。愈了解得多，他就愈對昆蟲及其他生物添一份溫情和敬意。當見到一些誤闖車廂的飛蛾、蜘蛛，在情況許可下，他都會盡力將牠們帶下車再放走。又譬如，小賴發現活在農田水坑中的蜉蝣，原來是地球上其中一種最早能夠飛行的動物，比恐龍更早。昆蟲也許身形微小，卻不容我們小覷呢。嘉賓｜許家傑（小賴 @_siu_lai）主持｜黃淑儀（Leanne）技術｜朱煒傑書名｜蟲鳴之森——超科學昆蟲寓言作者及編輯｜小賴出版｜良友之聲出版社ISBN｜978-988-70006-7-9

譚劍的著作橫跨推理、科幻、輕小說和純文學，近年參與寫作短篇推理合集《偵探冰室》，進而挑戰創作長篇推理小說，推出《姓司武的都得死》，榮獲二〇二四年台北國際書展大獎小說獎首獎，並售出韓語及越南語版權。這部作品以香港獨特制度為背景，深刻探討華人社會中的「家」與「血緣」概念，情節出人意表，發人深省。隨後出版的《復仇女神的正義》和《馬克白的命數》同樣以香港為舞台，在逼真的時代氛圍中，以懸疑手法揭示比案件更令人不安的現實。本集 Bookcast，我們邀請譚劍分享他的靈感來源、創作歷程，以及對寫作的獨到思考，引領大家進入他筆下的世界。嘉賓｜譚劍主持｜朱皓澄（Miranda）技術｜朱煒傑書名｜姓司武的都得死、復仇女神的正義、馬克白的命數作者｜譚劍出版｜蓋亞文化有限公司

香港推理小說合集《偵探冰室》，結集不同的本地偵探小說作家，每年圍繞不同的主題，創作充滿香港元素的短篇推理小說。在一眾作者眼中，《偵探冰室》既是實驗場地，亦是培育新作家的平台。數數手指，《偵探冰室》已出版了七集，有新晉作者加入，亦有「老鬼」持續參與，舊人帶新人，亦成功協助部分作者轉型。今集 Bookcast HK 將早前的《偵探冰室》系列分享會的部分內容節錄，與聽眾分享。嘉賓 | 冒業、陳浩基主持、技術 | 葉真真書名｜ 《偵探冰室》作者｜ 陳浩基、譚劍、文善、黑貓C、望日、冒業、莫理斯、柏菲思、騎士丕特二世、馬丹尼、夜透紫出版｜ 星夜出版有限公司ISBN | 9789887977407、9789887977469、9789887977506、9789887977551、9789887977599、9789887650430、9789887650461👂收聽Bookcast HK 連結請見bio#BookcastHK #podcast #detectivefiction

In this episode of BookcastHK, we speak with Dr Tony Banham about his book, The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru: Britain's Forgotten Wartime Tragedy (2006). The publication was turned into a documentary and released in summer. Our discussion also covers Tony's role as the editor of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong.Guest | Dr Tony BanhamModerator | Dr Chloe LaiTechnician | Chu Wai KitTitle | The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru: Britain's Forgotten Wartime TragedyPublisher | Hong Kong University PressISBN | 9789888083138👂 Please check our bio for listening to Bookcast HK on different platforms.

In this episode of Bookcast HK, we speak with Professor Alvin K. Wong on his new book, Unruly Comparison: Queerness, Hong Kong, and the Sinophone (2025). Building on women of colour feminism and queer of colour critique, Professor Wong’s “unruly comparison” troubles the Eurocentric tendency of queer studies and the China-centrism of area studies.This innovative approach of comparison does not look for direct equivalents; rather, it focuses on points of friction, asymmetry, and incongruity, where things do not translate neatly into another. It opens up alternative methods to investigate queer cultures and “perverse modernities” in “small places” like Hong Kong, thereby allowing us to “unknow” the dominant narrative of the city as being merely caught between British colonialism, China-centrism, and global capitalism.By performing unruly comparison of incommensurate texts and genres, Professor Wong generates productive conversations on disparate topics: the undoing of archives (Chapter 1), queer minor transnationalism (Chapter 2), trans cinema and queer globalities (Chapter 3), intimacies among queer migrant workers beyond capitalist logic (Chapter 4), and the representation of sex workers and queering of geopolitical borders (Chapter 5). These original readings reveal the racial, gender, and sexual incommensurability within Hong Kong and across the transpacific Sinophone.Towards the end of the episode, Professor Wong shares his new book project on queer Sinophone visuality, featuring experimental films by queer artists like Ellen Pau and Yonfan, and treats us to a reading from his book on the politics of unknowing Hong Kong.Our sincere thanks to Professor Wong for his brilliant book and for this meaningful conversation. His book is available in our library collection; be sure to check it out!Guest | Professor Alvin K. Wong (Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Literature, HKU)Moderator | Ronny ChanTechnician | Chu Wai KitTitle | Unruly Comparison: Queerness, Hong Kong, and the SinophonePublisher | Duke University PressISBN | 9781478031895👂 Please check our bio for listening to Bookcast HK on different platforms.