Jet Black as Night

【Book Description】 Seven years in the making, "Jet Black as Night" is Mai Shu-kin's collection of short stories. In this anthology, the author ventures into novella territory for the first time, weaving together reality and fiction to explore themes of human nature, death, and destiny. The novella "A Long Night" uses the city's darkness and shadows to present an alternative story of Hong Kong. The narrative follows Chen Songxiu, who smuggled himself into Hong Kong, and Shi Shanyuan. Living apart from society, they work as undertakers and late-night taxi drivers, leading lives shadowed by death. Combining elements of Hong Kong's history, urban legends, and observations of human nature, the author constructs a netherworld that mirrors the human realm, creating a unique and mysterious perspective. A Cross-Border Recommendation from Kung Wan-hui Malaysian writer Kung Wan-hui pens the foreword for "Jet Black as Night," highlighting how the book "shapes incredibly realistic and captivating portrayals of ordinary people." Reading and understanding the Hong Kong within the novel through the eyes of an outsider, he notes: "We follow the footsteps of night dwellers, stepping into the Hong Kong of the 1980s, or more accurately, the city's dark nights of old times, less clamorous than today. Against the light, vendors and hawkers, nightclub hostesses, their desires varied, yet also carrying threads of affection and love. Finally, one understands, like light and shadow, human and ghost, 'human city, ghost city overlapping endlessly... but this is the complete city.'" In the darkness of life, when you dare not face it alone, in a state between dream and wakefulness, what gazes at you from the shadows? 【Author Biography】 Mai Shu-kin Holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese Language and Literature and a Master of Philosophy from Hong Kong Baptist University, where he currently lectures at the Chinese Language Centre. His published works include the essay collections "Few Conversations," "Mei Pak," and "Shimmering Fine Mist"; the poetry collection "Stones Sink in Old Seas"; the solo novella collection "Unfinished"; and the co-authored novella collection "The Age of Novels: Remembering Hong Kong." His works have been featured in various anthologies, such as "Hong Kong Short Story Selection (2006-07)," "Collection of Works by Contemporary Hong Kong Writers (Essays)," "Hong Kong Poetry Selection 2013," "Hong Kong Poetry Selection 2014," "To Kwa Wan Narratives—Hong Kong Literary Essays," and "A Century of Chinese Literature (Hong Kong Volume)." He has received accolades including the New Era Global Chinese Youth Literary Award, the University Literary Award, the Hong Kong Arts Development Award for Emerging Artist (Literary Arts), the Chinese Literary Creation Award, and the Chinese Literary Biennial Award.