Simon Ng’s ongoing career as a literary scholar can be summarized in three episodes: the delicious one, the unexpected one, and the unfinished one.
The Delicious Episode
Simon obtained his Bachelor of Arts (double majors in English Studies and Comparative Literature) and Master of Philosophy degrees in the School of English, HKU. These early formative years of Simon’s academic training were imbued with delicious moments of intellectual exposure. Today as a faculty member in School of English, Simon could humbly relate to this profound expression of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s, “I feel as though I have returned home, because Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong are my intellectual birthplace.”
The Unexpected Episode
Simon undertook a rather unusual path in his decision to pursue a PhD in English Studies in a francophone research university in Canada, the Université de Montréal (the University of Montreal). Simon received Distinction in his PhD comprehensive examinations. His fields of specialization are (1) Literature and the City, and (2) Theatre and Drama. Simon’s research interest and pedagogical practice have been coloured by what he has preciously learned from the habitat of his doctoral study. Immersed in this unique academic community of English Studies with a strong presence of the French language surrounding it, Simon has cultivated sensitivities to issues relating to the politics of English, ethics of Anglo-writing, practices of translation, cohabitation of languages, and disruption of borders in literary studies.
The Unfinished Episode
Simon’s doctoral dissertation “Imperfect Flâneurs: Anti-heroes of Modern Life” examines the reïnterpretations of the flâneur as a literary trope in late twentieth century world literature. It was graded with the rare, highest grade “exceptionelle” (outstanding) in the viva and has earned him recognition on the Dean’s Honours List in his graduation. Simon has been revising it as a monograph for publication. An exposé of this book project has been presented in a special event in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Montreal, McGill University, where Simon was a postdoctoral researcher-in-residence. The book project is now in contract with McGill-Queen’s University Press under the working title “Imperfect Flâneurs.”