Media

Book Launch on Eileen Chang's The Book of Change

30 Aug 2010

 

The Hong Kong University Press and University's Project for Public Culture of Journalism and Media Studies Centre (JMSC) will co-host a book launch for a noted contemporary Chinese writer, Eileen Chang's (1920-1995) semi-autobiographical novel The Book of Change《易經》on 3 September 2010. The book launch also marks the 90^th birthday and 15^th anniversary of Chang's death.

The Book of Change was written in English, likes its prequel, The Fall of the Pagoda, depicting Chang's childhood in Tianjin and Shanghai. It provides a first-hand account of life in wartime Hong Kong following the Japanese invasion, with scathing details of widespread cowardice, as well as inspiring examples of human resilience.

Eileen Chang (1920-1995) arrived in Hong Kong from Shanghai in 1939 and enrolled in the University of Hong Kong. Her childhood in Shanghai was a gothic horror tale in which she finally ran away from her father and stepmother. Her student life in Hong Kong was a happy interlude, but Chang soon found herself stranded by the war. The Japanese occupation of late 1941 provided many brutal lessons on the fragile nature of personal attachments.

At the launch, Dr Roland Soong, the executor of Eileen Chang's estate will donate a photocopy of the manuscripts of Eileen Chang's English novel The Book of Change to HKU and shares his views on Chang's writing career. Professor Leo Ou-fan Lee, renowned scholar and cultural critic, will analyze the book.

All are welcome, the details are:

Date : September 3, 2010 (Friday)
Time : 12 noon
Venue : 1/F, Main Library, HKU
Language : English

Guests :
Prof. SP Chow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, HKU
Dr Roland Soong, Executor, Eileen Chang's Estate
Prof. Leo Ou-fan Lee, Renowned Scholar and Cultural Critic
Mr. Michael Duckworth, Publisher, Hong Kong University Press
Prof. Kam Louie, Dean, Faculty of Arts, HKU
Prof. Ying Chan, Director, Journalism and Media Studies Centre, HKU
Ms Yang Zhi Yan, July, second Eileen Chang Memorial Scholarship recipient

～ "Chang is quick to tell us she is one of those people she sets out to satirize: first shocked by the disorder of war, yet becoming accustomed to the new order of life in a short time... what concerns her most is food. She calls attention to people's grotesque behavior and ‘bizarre wisdom' inspired by the instinct to survive. Physical intimacy, like food, becomes a poignant index to convey the primordial needs of humanity."

From the introduction by David Der-wei Wang, Harvard University

Eileen Chang (1920-1995) is now recognized as one of the greatest modern Chinese writers, though she was completely erased from official histories in mainland China. She was the most popular writer in Japanese-occupied Shanghai during World War II, with English and Chinese stories focusing on human frailties rather than nationalist propaganda.

The Book of Change can be ordered at: http://www.hkupress.org/book/9789888028207.htm

For enquiries, please contact : Ms.Velentina Ma, Journalism and Media Studies Centre, HKU at velentinam@hku.hk or tel: 2219 4012/9123 0252

The book launch is also supported by HKU Libraries and Faculty of Arts, HKU. Project for Public Culture of JMSC is sponsored by the Azalea(1972) Endowment Fund.