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Following is the speech by the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Raymond Young, at the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize award ceremony today (March 17):
Professor Parker, Board of Directors of Man Asian Literary Prize, honourable judges, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. It is my pleasure to be here with you tonight at the award ceremony of the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize.
Since its inception in 2007 by the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, the Man Asian Literary Prize has been a prestigious annual literary event in Hong Kong, giving recognition to the remarkable achievements of Asian writers. It serves not only as a platform for cross-cultural literary exchange, but also as a key player in encouraging the publication of Asian literature either written in English or translated into the language. Entering its fourth year, the Prize has taken on a new format and is open to all novels by Asian writers published in English each year. This allows the literary community, the media, and readers all over the world to be fully involved in discussing the books evaluated by the judging panel, thereby significantly raising international awareness and appreciation of the literary wealth of Asia.
Asia's literary scene and its developing role in world literature are becoming increasingly prominent. Over the past decades, a number of notable Asian writers have emerged on the global literary scene, offering substantial contributions to world literature. Their writings, reflecting the rich and varied culture of Asia, appeal to a worldwide readership. Their influence is ever increasing, as reflected by the attention they are receiving from academia, literary cities, and the internationally recognised literary prizes they have garnered.
The Hong Kong Government is committed to supporting the development, preservation, and promotion of literature. Through our public libraries, we first launched the Hong Kong Literature Festival in 1997 with the objective of fostering the creation and appreciation of literary arts in the territory. The Festival has since become a leading cultural event in Hong Kong featuring a mix of sophisticated and popular activities to celebrate local literature with the public. For instance, during the eighth Festival held last summer, a host of Chinese and English programmes ranging from symposiums and cultural tours to poetry recitals and dialogues with writers were presented to promote an interest in reading and to invigorate discussions on local literature.
The Hong Kong Biennial Awards for Chinese Literature is another premier local literary event organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries. It aims to honour the outstanding achievements of Hong Kong writers and to encourage the publication of excellent literary works. Over the past two decades, awards were presented to more than a hundred winning works and recommended books in five literature genres, namely poetry, essay, fiction, literary criticism, and literature for children and young adults. The 11th edition of this long-established award is about to commence this year, and the list of outstanding local literary works is sure to grow.
Hong Kong is indeed honoured to be a base for the Man Asian Literary Prize, which is growing from strength to strength as the world's leading prize for Asian literature. This year, the Prize celebrates another year of success. The five-strong shortlist includes "Three Sisters", "Serious Men", "The Thing About Thugs", "The Changeling" and "Hotel Iris" by accomplished novelists from across the breadth of Asia. I would like to extend my gratitude to the three eminent judges, who have completed a most challenging job in selecting the shortlisted authors and the prize winner. They are Ms Monica Ali, Mr Homi Bhabha and Ms Hsu-Ming Teo. My thanks also go to the organisers of the Prize, the Advisory Council, the Board of Directors of the Prize, and the Sponsor, Man Group plc, for their great efforts in staging this event.
Last but not least, I would like to congratulate the prize winner and all the shortlisted authors for their great works. I look forward to reading more of their excellent writing in the future.
Thank you.
Ends/Thursday, March 17, 2011
Issued at HKT 21:32
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