I had seen nothing more vital and essentially ‘modern’ in the best sense of the word than the reproductions in this book…(1). John Lanchester's novel set in the city of the title ("fragrant harbour" is the literal translation of the Chinese for Hong Kong) spans the 20th century - from the 1930s to the 90s - and was just the novel I was looking for. Soweit ich weis ist die Geschichte bis heute nicht auf Deutsch erschienen, das Englisch ist jedoch für den halbwegs geübten Leser kein Problem. Der Leser erlebt den zweiten Weltkrieg, den Aufstieg der Stadt zur Handelsmetropole, den Einzug der Triaden und anderer krimineller Vereinigungen.

Partly this because his story is about the air conditioner business, guanxi and the difficulties of doing business under Communist governments, but it's also because Matthew is a much less interesting person than Tom and Dawn.Fragrance’ might stem from the fact that the harbour waters are sweetened by fresh water from the Pearl River; alternatively, it may refer to the sweet smell of incense being sold from the shore but carried by the wind across the harbour waters. The stories are interwoven in a similar way to in Capital and like in that book a seemingly scattered collection of stories come together nicely in the end. While Fragrant Harbour is a highly entertaining read, one that taught me much about Hong Kong’s recent history in an enjoyable manner, its narrative structure lets it down slightly. My father, now 101, is only slightly younger than Tom would be if he were alive (and a real person); I am planning to read him that part only. The second constituent event of the Top Dog Trophy Series 2023-24 – the Lipton Trophy – took place on What a perfect day to go racing!

In this capacity he first encountered the work of Samuel Palmer and of Blake, and Blake, particularly, was to have a life-long influence on his work. The skies were overcast but the wind was encouraging as seven IRC and seven PHS boats prepared for Race 2 of the Aberdeen Boat Club’s Waglan Series 2023-24 . Agreeing a compromise, his father sent him to study machine draughtsmanship at the Knirr School of Art, Munich, with the thought that this would give his son a skill he might apply professionally. More edifyingly, if you look out the back window you can catch a glimpse of the mountains around Kowloon. The novel's shape and scale, its emotional power and beauty, make it John Lancaster's finest book to date.All enjoyed his ruthless life the more keenly because the author was the blameless food correspondent of a national newspaper. Were our ancestors really so passionless and correct, or is it a lazy half-lie, sanctified by usage? But we also know that the city attracts the rich and powerful, and offers a lifestyle many can only dream about. The book has an immediacy of detail – of smells, of the changing of colours of the sea, the feel of air against the skin – which reflect an early, intimate knowledge.