Penguin Modern Classics to publish ‘beloved’ Hong Kong writer Xi Xi

Penguin Modern Classics has acquired My City by the late Hong Kong author Xi Xi.

Ka Bradley, commissioning editor at Penguin Press, acquired world English language rights from Li Kangqin at New River Literary. My City will be published as a Penguin Modern Classic in autumn 2024 in a brand new translation by Jennifer Feeley.

My City, first published in book form in 1979, presents Hong Kong through the eyes of its young people – children, teenagers and youths new to the workforce. Written as a “non-linear collage”, the publisher said it captures the spirit of the city and its people at a times rapid economic growth and against the backdrop of decolonisation. It was ranked among the best Chinese novels of the 20th century by Asia Weekly, inspired a 2015 documentary, and was selected as Hong Kong’s 2020 Book of One City One Book.

Bradley said of the acquisition: “My City is a jewel-bright joy, a cacophony of lyric and music playing in Xi Xi’s famously witty, observant style. It’s something of a flaneur novel, a joyous ramble through the cafes, homes and streets of Hong Kong, with a profoundly charismatic ensemble cast. I am proud that we will be publishing this major Sinophone writer on the Penguin Modern Classics list, in a new translation by her long-time translator and champion Jennifer Feeley.”

Feeley commented: “Frequently heralded as Xi Xi’s magnum opus, My City presents a panoramic view of the unsung heroes of Hong Kong, illuminating ordinary and often overlooked aspects of the city with a charming, child-like curiosity and sensitive attention to detail. I’m thrilled to work with editor Ka Bradley and the team at Penguin Classics UK to bring a fresh and complete translation of this beloved novel into English.”

Kangqin said: “Given Xi Xi’s work has long escaped the attention of publishers outside the Sinophone world, I’m absolutely delighted that her My City will be freshly introduced to an English language audience. Her literary legacy is vital to ideas around Hong Kong literature and identity, and Ka and Penguin Classics UK are the perfect editor and home for this intelligent, entertaining and inspiring work.”

Xi Xi, who died in 2022, was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with her family in 1950. She is one of the most beloved writers in the Sinophone world and has published more than 30 books of different genres in addition to newspaper and magazine columns and screenplays. Xi Xi was the winner of the 6th Newman Prize for Chinese Literature in 2019 and was awarded the Life Achievement Award by the HK Arts Development Council in 2022.