Edmund Blunden and Places in Hong Kong

Abstract

Abstract

Despite working as Professor of English at The University of Hong Kong for over a decade (1953–1964), Blunden’s time in Hong Kong has been little documented. This article aims to fill the critical gap by tracing Blunden’s footsteps in Hong Kong through exploring previously undiscussed archival materials mainly in overseas archives, supplemented by oral history interviews, contemporary accounts and analysis of Blunden’s works as well as secondary literature, bringing together archival research, literary biography, and historical investigation. This article argues that Blunden’s networks, movements, and cultural presence in Hong Kong were not only limited to The University of Hong Kong, but were more widely felt across the territory. By illustrating Blunden’s connections with various places (and by extension the people associated with them) in Hong Kong, this article not only contributes towards elucidating his biography in greater details and exploring his multiple roles as poet, educator, and public intellectual, but it also demonstrates the diversity of his reach and the legacy of his influence to English studies in Hong Kong as well as East-West literary and cultural exchange. An enhanced understanding of Blunden’s life in Hong Kong would simultaneously shed light on the development of Anglophone literature and the education as well as arts and cultural sectors in Hong Kong in the period, highlighting the significant potential of accessing Hong Kong’s history through the individual/literary archives in diverse locations.