PATTY HO was born in Hong Kong. She studied law in the University of Hong Kong and is now practising as a solicitor in a local law firm. She is also at present studying philosophy under the Master of Arts in Philosophy (part-time) programme in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Apart from being a law practitioner and a philosophy student, she has always been a poetry lover and poetry still remains what she loves most. She first started to write poems in Form Six in her secondary school days and since then she has kept up her interest in reading and writing poems. Time and experiences in life have deepened her love for poetry.

Patty Ho introduces her book as follows: "This book is a collection of the poems which I have written mostly in the past five years. 'All beings are like scattered coins, love is the string (which binds them together).' (The original Chinese text is from the preface to "Qing Shi" by Feng Menglong.) If there is anything which links the poems in this book, it must be love. Here I mean love in a wide sense, which includes love between men and women, love between family members, love between friends, love of life and nature, love of poetry and beauty, and so forth. According to the philosopher Max Scheler, man is an ens amans, a being who loves; I hope that through this book I can share my beloved poetry with every ens amans.

Heart to Heart: Poems by Patty Ho (2010) reveals a gentle and passionate heart longing to give and receive love and seeking to understand where love goes when life ends. The key topics and moods are Love, Loneliness, Longing and Loss. A different tone is set when she seeks to view reality from the perspective of other souls.

Patty Ho has an intense interest in poetry, philosophy and music and this, her debut poetry collection, integrates treasured quotations and inspiration from famous poets, philosophers, lyricists and composers. Her poetry is stimulated by flowers, trees, stars, statues, pictures and people.

Although personal relations are central to this work, history and current affairs are also subjects.

"Heart to Heart" is stunningly illustrated with reproductions of original watercolours by the poet's sister, Annie Ho, as well as by photographs from the author and others.

BOOK BY PATTY HO PUBLISHED BY PROVERSE HONG KONG

POETRY

Heart to Heart: Poems. Supported by Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC)

To see details of the book as well as purchase information, please see the "Featured Books" page on this site. Click the book covers shown and then the link to the CUHK Press book-detail page.

REVIEWS

"Patty Ho's debut volume of poems and images is a remarkably engaging and edifying book. … This book of simple but thought-provoking poems is timely reminder to the reading public that Hong Kong has more to offer than the sum of its literary, cultural and political stereotypes and its role as an appendage to the China mainland. If the concept of 'one world' is worth anything in this postmodern age of globalist cynicism, Patty Ho's poetry causes us to reflect on what is quintessentially human and on the fragile beauty of all existence. — Mike Ingham, HKADC Literary Arts Examiner, 28^th February 2010.

"Along with the carefully chosen photographs and thought-provoking watercolour illustrations provided by Ho's sister, the collection constitutes a dynamic conversation between visual and written texts about the emotions and values we all share." —  Flora Mak, in Cha: An Asian literary Journal, Issue 12, September 2010.