European Literature Night 2025

Based on the success from last year, European Literature Night (ELN) comes back this September with a stronger line-up of 13 European countries! Organized by Czech Centers and EUNIC, ELN has been taking place in Prague since 2006. The aim is to introduce contemporary European literature through public readings in non-traditional venues.

The second edition of the ELN in Hong Kong will take place from 17:30 to 22:30 on 17th September (Wednesday). During this 5 hours, well-known Hong Kong personalities will read out excerpts (around 10 mins) of works by European writers in 11 different locations. At all locations, the readings will take place simultaneously at a 30-minute interval. Audiences can plan their literature route ahead. Participating venues will all be in Central and Sheung Wan.

Date & Time: 17 Sep 2025 | 17:30 - 22:30
Location: 11 interesting spaces in Sheung Wan and Central

About the Book:

For Lena, childhood summers meant training to be a good socialist at Pioneer camp, singing songs in praise of Lenin. But when perestroika shatters her world, all must be unlearned. Lena's corner of the USSR is suddenly Ukraine: there is a McDonalds in Moscow's Red Square and certified foreign whisky, but no food in the shops. For her friend Tatyana, survival in her changing homeland requires new skills: bullet dodging, business sense and a knack for bribery and corruption. When both women head West in search of new beginnings, their homesickness for a vanished land is inherited by their rebellious daughters, caught between forging their own identities and untangling the rich histories of the mothers who raised them.

About the Performer (Book Reading):

Chan Yuen Yu Caroline is a trilingual (Cantonese, Mandarin, English) artist with dual heritages (Chinese and Nigerian). She holds a bachelor degree in English Language and Literature and recently graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (2023), where she pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) degree in Drama, majoring in Acting. She was nominated Performer of the Year by The International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) in 2025 for her role in Flowing Warblers (2024), and is a recent recipient of the Asian Cultural Council Hong Kong New York Fellowship 2025. Her professional performances notably includes: Songs of innocence and Experience (2024), The Doctor (2024), Labyss (2024) and Flowing Warblers (2024). She has also been immersing herself in the local Film and Television Industry, as well as the Stand Up Comedy scene in Hong Kong. Caroline Chan aims to expand her knowledge, hone her skills and connect to the global stage in her journey as an artist.

Venue:

Project House 1 Queen's Rd W, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Reading Sessions:

19:00 - 19:10 | 19:30 - 19:40 | 20:00 - 20:10 | 20:30 - 20:40 | 21:00 - 21:10 | 21:30 - 21:40