Book review : Xu Xi's Dear Hong Kong: Saying Goodbye

Let me be upfront about this: I have long been an admirer of Xu Xi and of her important, but somewhat underrated, contribution to the Hong Kong anglophone literary scene. So my review of her latest work—an elegy to the city of her birth—is unlikely to be impartial and “blind” in the time-honoured scholarly tradition of reviews. On reflection, given the author’s (perfectly justified in my view) swipes at the seats of higher learning in this city on the basis of their current values and priorities, my partiality may be a good thing! Knowing her well from our collaborations on Hong Kong writing in English and as a friend, I understand very well where much of the lively spirit of critical intervention in her memoir-cum-extended essay emanates from.