The author undertakes the task of examining a large body of literature produced in Hong Kong to show it as an integral part of the universal human heritage. This thematic study of contemporary Hong Kong anglophone literature identifies a series of themes and motifs that can be drawn upon both as figures for an authentically Hong Kong criticism and as lenses through which to read, contextualize, and interpret the texts that constitute this canon of fiction, autobiography, drama, and poetry. Focusing on three central texts - Patrick Acheson's intricately-wrought and provocative
Flagrant Harbour,
Lee Ding Fai's rags-to-riches story
Running Dog,
and Timothy Mo's
The Monkey King
- Hooper offers a theoretical structure for analyzing the postcolonial phenomena in the Hong Kong context. This book includes an exhaustive bibliography of Hong Kong literature.