Gweilo: Memoirs of a Hong Kong Childhood is an autobiography by author Martin Booth.[1] It was published in 2004 shortly before he died.
The book discusses the author's childhood in Hong Kong. The term "gweilo" literally means "ghost man" in Cantonese, but has been applied as a racial epithet for Caucasians (as in white ghosts). The book is rich with vivid descriptions of the author's explorations of Kowloon and Hong Kong, his learning of Cantonese and his numerous interactions with Chinese people in Hong Kong. It also recreates dialogue in Chinese Pidgin English as it was used between expatriate families and their domestic servants.
In the United States, the book was marketed under the title Golden Boy. The book also appeared in the Reader's Digest Condensed Books series. [citation needed]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ A. Robert Lee (1 January 2008). China Fictions, English Language: Literary Essays in Diaspora, Memory, Story. Rodopi. p. 205. ISBN 978-90-420-2351-2.