Mr Polly's Bonfire Party

Augustus John Polly is a restless academic, uncomfortable in the colonial environment of 1950s Hong Kong. Prompted by sexual fantasies, he is drawn into a conspiracy that unfolds disastrously.

“Amidst the decline of empire, a restless colonialist in Hong Kong debates the meaning of history. By turns funny and philosophical, this story of one man’s whimsy – but also courage – in taking a side challenges our own complacencies with political notions of right and wrong, as well as the inequalities of our own time.”
– Cyril Wong, poet and fictionalist.

“Mr. Polly’s world is a rich tapestry. The reader is transported to a world already gone, but not forgotten. It’s a cornucopia of themes, impressions, and moods. Like preparing a magical potion in a sorcerer’s cauldron, Malcolm Jack’s prose effectively uses a number of fascinating ingredients: The blend is sensuous, lascivious, delicious, funny, witty, ironic, intellectual, philosophical, political, historical, and human – a true cornucopia of life.”
– João Mendonça, translator and author.

“Malcolm Jack’s latest is a page-turner, a taut political thriller that never loses its momentum. The text has a cinematic quality, the protagonist a quiet Briton who contemplates the end of history and the fragility of empire. Hong Kong is lovingly and nostalgically depicted in glorious Technicolour as a city on the brink of change, at once beguiling and inscrutable.”
– Kennie Ting, historian and curator.

Malcolm Jack was brought up and schooled in Hong Kong before returning to university in the UK. As a child, he learnt Cantonese at the same time as English. He has had a career both as a public servant and a writer. His writing includes articles, reviews on history, literature, philosophy, politics and a number of books. Among his travel histories are Lisbon: City of the Sea (2007) and To the Fairest Cape: European Encounters in the Cape of Good Hope (2019). His last book, My Hong Kong (2022), deals with writers’ mainly fictional impressions of the city from the 1950s onwards. He is a frequent visitor to Hong Kong.

Customer Reviews

4.8

25 reviews

Jon P

Hugely enjoyable and beautifully written, this was was a great opportunity to dive into a world which, while unfamiliar to me, is richly painted here from the author’s extensive experience and knowledge. I enjoyed spending time in Mr Polly’s company, and letting his commentary - and his mischief - guide me through colonial Hong Kong!
David Hay Gibson

Malcolm Jack’s ‘Mr Polly’s Bonfire Party’ brings vivid memories of colonial Hong Kong alive and reminds me of my late Mother’s family and the many parallels of their colonial past in another part of the British Empire. Jack’s thrilling and captivating account of Mr Polly’s life in H.K. in the 50’s and 60’s makes it difficult to put ‘Mr Polly’s Bonfire Party’ aside. A story which in particular is a must for families and descendants of those that once made up the influential British society which shaped and created Hong Kong in a recent period of it’s history! Jack’s leading character Mr Polly shall do much to keep life as it once was in Hong Kong alive! David Hay Gibson Van Diepen The Netherlands, July 2025.
Paul Mallender

This is a hugely enjoyable first novel from the pen of an author who has demonstrated his literary skills through the medium of several non-fiction works. It is truly fascinating account of the politics of 1950’s Hong Kong. It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows the author that his early years were spent in Hong Kong with all the richness and diversity of that period. More please.
Stephen Clarke

An engaging and surprising book, with well-realised and engaging characters set within an affectionate satire of academic life against the background of a closely-observed and evocative portrait of Hong Kong.
Liam Laurence Smyth

While author wears his considerable learning lightly, this reader was left faintly unsure on a first reading that he had picked up all the philosophical and literary allusions, but he’s fairly confident he laughed in all the right places. There is an appropriate humidity in this comedy set in 1950s academia, very far away in location but perhaps not so much in spirit from Lucky Jim. Is there just a hint of sadness underlying the hilarity of cultural misunderstandings between East and West? The author clearly knows and loves his Hong Kong. The reader who comes for the comedy may find by the end that they have learned something about the unique character and resilience of the fragrant harbour.
Alison

Lovely portrait of old Hong Kong within the twists and turns of Malcolm Jack’s entertaining novel. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Norman Coates

An exotic setting, and an amusingly story. I enjoyed it enormously.
Peter Lantos

Malcolm Jack's excursion into fiction is an unqualified success. His latest book, Mr Polly Bonfire Party unfolds in Hong Kong soon after the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. These are unsettling times: Mao's Communist Party is firmly installed in the mainland and the Fragrant Harbour is ripe with rumours and conspiracy. In this febrile word lives our protagonist, Augustus John Polly, Reader in Comparative History. When he is not teaching, his days are coloured with receptions, excursions and parties and enlivened with copious G and Ts and high level of testosterone. Whilst he is attracted to his ace student, Clarence and his muscular gardener in a platonic way, his real affair is with the beautiful and mysterious Cynthia Lee who is more than just a lover. Mr Polly is not immune to mischief as proved by an abortive attempt to burn down the famous Peninsula Hotel. As the narrative develop to a surprising and explosive climax, the reader learns not only about the academic, but also the social life of Hong Kong. And we cannot have a better guide than Malcolm who had grown up and, until recently, taught at the University there.