Book Description
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 learned Cantonese at the same time as English. He has had a career both as a public servant and a writer. His writing includes books, articles, reviews on history, literature, philosophy, and politics, as well as travel works on Portugal, and most recently, on South Africa. He is a frequent visitor to Hong Kong.
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34 reviews
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Mr Polly’s Bonfire Party is a bold, intelligent and deeply atmospheric novel. Malcolm Jack conjures 1950s Hong Kong with vivid texture, where empire teeters and ideals crumble. Augustus John Polly is an unlikely hero—wistful, absurd, and perceptive —whose descent into intrigue is as comic as it is tragic. The novel dances between satire, menace and philosophy, drawing the reader into reflections on power, repression, and identity. Jack’s prose is rich and playful, making even the darkest turns strangely luminous. This is historical fiction with teeth and heart—an elegant, subversive tale that lingers like smoke from a fire long after it ends
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Lovely portrait of old Hong Kong within the twists and turns of Malcolm Jack’s entertaining novel. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
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An exotic setting, and an amusingly story. I enjoyed it enormously.
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