The event, which originated in Prague in 2006 and has been held in Hong Kong since last year, significantly expanded its scope this year. While the first edition in November 2024 featured four countries, this year involved a total of thirteen states: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine. The event was organised by the EUNIC Cluster Hong Kong, the Consulate General of Czechia in Hong Kong, the Goethe-Institut, Alliance Française, and the Italian Cultural Institute in cooperation with European consulates and cultural institutions, notably the Goethe-Institut and the Consulate General of Czechia in Hong Kong as well as Czech Centres, and with the support of local partners including the EU Office in Hong Kong, Bookazine, Zolima CityMag and the Hong Kong International Literary Festival.

Concept and Programme

The featured titles, encompassing both novels and poetry, offered audiences a wide spectrum of genres and themes. Readings were held in diverse venues – from the artistic La Galerie Paris 1839 to the architecturally unique commaa café in Sheung Wan (LAAB Architects). Other notable spaces included the Bookazine Social and Parenthèses bookshops, the PMQ cultural centre with its Taste Library, and the Habyt co-working space. This connection of literature with the authentic atmosphere of local establishments not only gave the event its distinctive character but also helped to support and raise the profile of the venues themselves.

Attendees could create their own programme for the evening – each of the 13 venues hosted a ten-minute reading in English every half hour between 17:30 and 22:30, with sufficient time allocated for moving between locations. The presentation formats were varied; while most countries opted for a traditional reading style, Hungary introduced its featured work through a short dramatic performance, thereby showcasing another dimension of literary interpretation.

The Czech Contribution

Czechia was represented this year by Kateřina Tučková's novel Gerta, excerpts of which were presented by television host, master of ceremonies, and educator Vincent Tang Ka-lai at the commaa café. The story of Gerta Schnirch, the daughter of a Czech mother and a German father, begins in post-war Brno in May 1945, when the German population was forced to leave the city in the so-called Brno Death March. The novel raises painful questions about guilt, revenge, and forgiveness between Czechs and Germans, and captures a strained mother-daughter relationship, influenced not only by the post-war environment but also by mutual misunderstanding between generations. The genius loci of the vibrant city of Brno lends the story an unmistakable atmosphere.

The author, Kateřina Tučková, a recipient of numerous literary awards including the Czech State Award for Literature (2022), addresses a complex topic of post-war history in her book, one that still resonates today. Her works have been translated into twenty-two languages.

European Literature Night 2025 was thus more than just a series of readings. It was a shared experience of discovery – of new authors, new perspectives, and new places in Hong Kong. The map prepared by the Goethe-Institut, based on the visuals from the Prague edition, was a great tool for this year's "literature hunt" through parts of Central and Sheung Wan in Hong Kong's central district. Building on the success of this year's edition, a follow-up event is already being prepared for next year.