Austin Coates
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Austin Francis Harrison Coates (16 April 1922 – 16 March 1997) was a British
civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
and writer. Coates was a RAF Intelligence officer in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and his service in
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
was his first time in the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
. In 1949, he joined the
Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...
and occupied civil positions in
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and Malaysia before retiring in 1962 to become a full-time writer. Coates wrote prolifically on
Oriental studies Oriental studies is the academic field that studies Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology. In recent years, the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Middle Eastern studie ...
and travel, especially on Hong Kong and
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
. His best-known book is ''Myself a Mandarin'' (1968), a memoir about his tenure in Hong Kong. In the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, Coates is best known for '' Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr'' (1968), which is still considered one of the best biographies of the ''de facto'' national hero.


Biography


19221962: Early life and civil service

Austin Francis Harrison Coates was born on 16 April 1922 in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, the only child of Eric Coates, a noted composer, and Phyllis Black, an actress.Self, Geoffrey. "Coates, Eric (formerly Frank Harrison Coates)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004. Coates later said that his birth "wreck d his mother's acting career. He was a nuisance to his parents, especially to his father, who he said was averse to "the prospect of a squalling infant in the house whilst he was trying to write music". The family moved to
Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...
because they felt it would be more suitable for the child. His father's career meant that, except on holidays, Coates would only see him for half an hour every day. When he had the time, Eric taught him the basics of cartography and astronomy. Coates' first aspirations were towards acting, much like his mother, and he spent two years training at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...
. Through his
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
service in RAF Intelligence, Coates went to
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. That was his first time in the Far East; when he visited
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
(Mumbai), Coates said that he had felt at home from the moment he arrived. In 1949, Coates joined the
Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...
and began his tenure as Assistant Colonial Secretary in
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
. He disapproved of the
double standard A double standard is the application of different sets of principles for situations that are, in principle, the same. It is often used to describe treatment whereby one group is given more latitude than another. A double standard arises when two ...
the colonial authorities opposed on its subjects. He requested a transfer to
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
, Malaysia, in 1957, partly to avoid the tribulations of his superior, K.M.A. Barnett, whose
homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
"hounding" of Coates caused a
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
. He served as the Chinese magistrate in Sarawak before becoming the governor's secretary and adviser on Chinese affairs. Coates was the First Secretary of the British High Commission,
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
and
Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
from 1959 to 1962.


19621997: Writings and travels

Coates, aged 40, left the Colonial Service in 1962 to become a full-time writer. He wrote extensively on topics related to the Asia-Pacific region, particularly
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
. In 1965, he settled in Hong Kong and continued travelling and writing extensively. Coates' best-known work is ''Myself a Mandarin'', a memoir about his tenure in Hong Kong. In its final pages, he wrote, "For a Westerner - or for the West - to believe it is possible in any way to influence China is chimerical. When a Westerner comes to China, no matter how high his rank or how great his influence all that he can achieve - all that he will ever achieve - is to add a grain of salt to sea-water since China, like the sea, is adamantine and of unchanging substance." In 1968,
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
published '' Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr'', Coates' biography of
José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...
. It was the second written by a foreigner, and the ninth overall. Unlike the previous biographies, Coates aimed to show how Rizal's life would be of interest to non-Filipino readers. Casting Rizal as equal to
Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
,
Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...
, and
Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...
, he emphasized the moral purpose which guided Rizal and his martyrdom. It was the work Coates put the most effort into. The book is still considered one of the best biographies of the Filipino national hero, but received little attention outside the Philippines. The Filipino writer F. Sionil José declared it the best, while the public historian
Ambeth Ocampo Ambeth Raymundo Ocampo is a Filipino public historian, academic, cultural administrator, journalist, author, and independent curator. He is best known for his definitive writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal and on topics in Ph ...
wrote that it "is cited for its readability and insight into Rizal that eluded earlier biographers."Coates was the guest of many prominent Asians, among them the Tagore family, the Indian painter Jamini Roy and
Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
. After his visit with Gandhi, he decided that understanding between East and West was one of the most important goals in the world. His book, ''City of Broken Promises'' was made into an extremely successful musical for the Hong Kong Art Festival in 1978. The show was also staged in San Jose in 1979, starring
Teresa Carpio Teresa Carpio (born 30 September 1956) is a Hong Kong English- and Cantonese-language pop singer, actress, and singing teacher. Carpio was popular in Hong Kong during the 1970s and 1980s. She is the paternal cousin of actress and singer Rita C ...
. In 1993, Coates moved to a villa in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
. He died there on the night of 16 March 1997 after a lengthy fight with cancer. He never married.


Bibliography


Travel and history

* ''Invitation to an Eastern Feast'' (1953) * ''Personal and Oriental'' (1957) * ''Basutoland'' (Corona Library, 1966) * ''Western Pacific Islands'' (The Corona Library, 1970) * ''Islands of the South'' (1974)


History

* ''Portuguese Roots in Africa'' (1965) Johannesburg: Frier & Munro * ''Prelude to Hong Kong'' (1966) London: Routledge and Kegan Paul; second edition as ''Macao and the British, 1637–1842'' Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1988, 234 pp; * '' Rizal, Philippine Nationalist and Martyr'' (1968), Oxford University Press.
José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...
is the national hero of the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. * '' China, India and the Ruins of Washington'' (1972) New York: John Day, discusses the longevity of the Chinese and Indian civilisations in contrast to the Western civilisation. * ''A Mountain of Light: The Story of the Hongkong Electric Company'' (1977) * ''A Macao Narrative'' (1978) Hong Kong, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition 1999, 146 pp., preface by Cesar Guillen-Nunez * ''Whampoa: Ships on the Shore'' (Hong Kong: SCMP. 1980), about the founding of the Hongkong & Whampoa Dock Company and the transformation of Hong Kong from a sleepy little village to the seventh biggest port of the world. * ''China Races'' (1984) Oxford University Press (China), a history of racing on the China Coast commissioned by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club. * ''Quick Tidings of Hong Kong'' (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. 1990 A History of telecommunications in Hong Kong. * ''The Commerce in Rubber: The First 250 Years'' (1987) Singapore: Oxford University Press *


Other non-fiction

* ''Report on the Southern District'' (195?) Rural development, Village communities, Southern District New Territories * ''Myself a Mandarin'' (1968) London: Frederick Muller, describes the author's experience as a special magistrate in the New Territories. * ''Numerology'' (1975) Coates explains his system of reading people's characters and predicting their fortunes based on their names and birth dates.


Novels

* ''The Road'' (London: Hutchinson & Co, 1957), novel about Hong Kong's Lantau Island during 20th century. * ''City of Broken Promises'' (1959, Hong Kong, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition 1987, 314 pp. A novel based on the life of Martha Merop, a Chinese orphan in Macao who rose to great success in business and on her liaison with Thomas Kuyck van Mierop, a principal of the British East India Company.)


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coates, Austin 20th-century British writers 1922 births 1997 deaths British diplomats in East Asia Royal Air Force personnel of World War II