january-2011

The bestselling writer
Matthew Harrison
A resident of Hong Kong these past 25
years, Matthew Harrison is not only a
best-selling author with books like the
novel, Jessica’s Choice (2008) and the
short story collection, Queen’s Road
Central and the Other Stories (2006), he
is also a commercial artist who works in
ink and oil. Harrison is British, studied at
Oxford University, and started out as a
teacher of English in Germany. Then he
and his fi ancée decided to move to Hong
Kong, where he worked as a researcher
and wrote a fi nance book, Asia-Pacifi c
Securities Markets, fourth edition (2003,
Sweet and Maxwell). In 2003, he
started writing fi ction and getting short
stories published. He and his wife and
their two children live in Hong Kong.
His aff air with the city
“Hong Kong is my muse. There is
so much going on here, so many
stimulating things, the press of people,
the stunning views, the ceaseless
activity — there’s always something
new to write about. Hong Kong is my
home now, or my home-from-home. I
try to support things that will be good
for its future, like saving the harbor,
W RITE THIS WAY
the environment, social issues. It is the
frontier between China and the rest of
the world. There are lots of stories —
and they haven’t been told, at least not
in English.”
The write stuff
“In Hong Kong, most people have a go
at a business venture. But for me it is
writing. (The city) is good for exposure.
You see a great range of life in a small
space. You may be sitting in a coffee
shop, but in the street, people are
preparing food, repairing bikes, selling
handbags. In restaurants and clubs
you see business leaders, celebrities,
politicians; you may even meet them.
The world passes through Hong Kong.
So it is a bit like Shakespeare’s London
— the court, the port, the theater,
{ 56 }
Above: Matthew Harrison likes wandering
through the area between the waterfront
and Mid-Levels. Left: The author holding
one of his books.
everything within reach. It’s really a
global village.”
Hong Kong hotspots
“Well, I’d like to be invisibly levitated
along the street so I can observe and
write at the same time. But at Starbucks
above D’Aguilar Street, you can watch
the people going up to Lan Kwai Fong
while you tap away on your laptop. For
Cantonese food I often go to Cuisine
Royale in Wanchai’s Hopewell Centre,
or Hou Choi on Connaught Road West.
I like to wander between the waterfront
and Mid-Levels, where it’s mostly
older low-rise tenements, crooked
alleyways, steep little streets, markets,
metalworking shops and galleries.”
Tip from the novelist
“Take every chance you get to write.
When you get to that novel, do the fi rst
draft quickly, then take time to revise it,
revise it and revise it. Travel; it broadens
your understanding of people.”
Cebu Pacifi c fl ies to Hong Kong
from Manila, Cebu and Clark.
www.cebupacifi cair.com
PHOTOS MANDY TAY