Examining literary giants through brushstrokes
Authors jump off the page and onto painted portraits in a new London exhibition making its debut on the Chinese mainland, Zhang Kun reports.
By Zhang Kun | HK edition | Updated: 2026-03-27 07:53
The Shakespeare portrait is a highlight of the fourth section, Fame. In this section, visitors will find a beautifully rendered portrait of Charles Dickens in his prime, alongside his manuscript of Great Expectations.
Contemporary readers may be drawn to the charcoal drawing of J. K. Rowling, which depicts the creator of the Harry Potter saga in the act of writing, deeply concentrated and immersed in her mind. It is displayed alongside a copy of the first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
On the open page is a picture of the coat of arms, with the four Hogwarts houses drawn by Rowling, and a handwritten note under the title that reads, "Changed my life forever".
The final section, Writing to Change the World, focuses on writers who have sought to create social and political change through prose, fiction, poetry and autobiography.
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