Where Strange Gods Call (Paperback)

Harry Hervey

ISBN 10: 9887554758 / ISBN 13: 9789887554752

Published by Blacksmith Books, Hong Kong, 2023

About this Item

Paperback. As a young American, Harry Hervey dreamt of travelling to Asia. In 1923, he arrived to spend time in Hong Kong, Macao and Guangzhou. His impressions of southern China are lyrical and detailed, atmospheric and informative. From the basement dives of Kennedy Town to the private dining rooms of Queens Road, and Macaos Praia Grande to its fan-tan houses, Hervey is a fascinating flaneur. So too in Guangzhou, a city in tumult, where he encounters those fleeing warlord violence and is granted an audience with Dr Sun Yat-sen. Herveys impressions of China would stay with him for the rest of his life, not least in his treatment for the 1932 movie Shanghai Express. Describes a lost world: the Canton, Macao and Hong Kong of the 1920s. Written by a young American traveller who would later become a renowned screenwriter of the 1930s. Includes his interview with revolutionary leader Dr Sun Yat-sen which is perhaps the last interview Dr Sun gave to an American writer before his death less than a year later. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9789887554752

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Where Strange Gods Call (Paperback)
• Publisher: Blacksmith Books, Hong Kong
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9887554758
• ISBN 13: 9789887554752
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

As a young American, Harry Hervey dreamt of traveling to Asia. In 1923, he arrived to spend time in Hong Kong, Macao and Guangzhou. His impressions of southern China are lyrical and detailed, atmospheric and informative. From the basement “dives” of Kennedy Town to the private dining rooms of Queen's Road, and Macao's Praia Grande to its fan-tan houses, Hervey is a fascinating flaneur. So too in Guangzhou, a city in tumult, where he encounters those fleeing warlord violence and is granted an audience with Dr Sun Yat-sen. Hervey's impressions of China would stay with him for the rest of his life, not least in his treatment for the 1932 movie Shanghai Express.

“Approaching Canton we were gliding past ugly, ramshackle dwellings and go-downs; grass-thatched house-boats, sampans, junks, and lighters, and millions of roofs that were flung in uneven terraces against the sky.”

About the Author

Harry Hervey was born in November 1900 in Beaumont, Texas. In 1923 he got a job as a cruise director traveling through Asia, and this gave him the opportunity to explore a number of countries and cities. The resultant book, Where Strange Gods Call, was called ‘extraordinary’ by the Chicago Tribune. Today Hervey is best remembered for his screenplays, including Shanghai Express which was filmed in 1931.

Paul French, who has introduced and annotated this reprint, was born in London and lived and worked in Shanghai for many years. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. He lives in London, UK.