[Diary of the Absurd Life in 1997:
All Entries]
TH: Diary of the Absurd Life in 1997, in 28 sections, was written originally in Chinese by Mary Wong and serialised in Ming Pao 明報 in 1997. The pieces, translated into English by Chris Song, are serialised in Cha beginning from Monday 25 September 2023.
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The Addams Bookstore
27/28
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After witnessing a fervent debate in defense of feminism at dinner in Macau, Kwong found herself profoundly affected. On the ferry back, she couldn’t stop probing Lily for advice on how to become a well-rounded feminist. Having missed a delicious Portuguese meal during her impassioned arguments, Lily was now stuck eating the ship’s oversized hot dogs. “Rule number one for being a feminist,” she instructed while eating, “is to speak only when you’ve eaten well.” The middle-aged man she’d been arguing with was seated three rows ahead of us. He knelt on his seat, turning to request a hot dog from a friend seated behind him. Seeing he was hungrier than she was, Lily allowed herself a thin, vindictive smile.
Lily advised Kwong to start with some introductory feminist titles, directing her to a bookstore run by a well-read proprietor in Wan Chai. Kwong eagerly set off to meet the academic guru. Once she found the storefront Lily described, she marched boldly in. There was an odd table situated ambiguously between the first and second floors, with a South Indian man behind it. “On the clock?” he greeted her as if recognising an old friend. Confused, she corrected him: “Off the clock.” The narrow, peculiar staircase imbued a sense of mystery, oddly boosting her confidence in the bookstore and conjuring images of a sage reclusive owner.
She was wearing a red short-sleeved dress, a popular Chinese design with a heart-shaped cut-out on the chest. She felt an immediate kinship upon seeing a series of books displayed, their covers predominantly red with black-line drawings. She initially thought they were all the same but soon realised they were five different books. The line between illusion and reality blurred, impressing her further. When she turned around, she was startled to find every customer in the shop staring at her. The moment they noticed her looking, they pretended to return to their reading. She felt increasingly like she’d stepped into the Addams family. Then, suddenly, a male voice from behind said, “Love You for a Hundred Years hasn’t arrived yet.”
How to cite: Song, Chris and Mary Wong. “The Addams Bookstore.” Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 21 Oct. 2023, chajournal.blog/2023/10/21/bookstore.
Mary Shuk-Han Wong 黃淑嫻 (author) is a Hong Kong writer. Her short story collection Surviving Central (中環人; 2013) received the “25th Secondary School Students’ Best Ten Books Award.” Her essay collections include How to Live the Sad Days (悲傷的日子如何過; 2021), Against the Grain (亂世破讀; 2017), and From Kafka (理性的遊藝：從卡夫卡談起; 2015). She has also published an online poetry collection, Cave Whispers (絕地抒情; 2022), in collaboration with Hong Kong composer and photographer. She was the co-producer and literary advisor of two literary documentaries: 1918: Liu Yichang (1918：劉以鬯紀錄片; 2015) and Boundary: Leung Ping Kwan (東西：也斯紀錄片; 2015).
Chris Song (translator) is a poet, editor, and translator from Hong Kong, and is an assistant professor in English and Chinese translation at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He won the “Extraordinary Mention” of the 2013 Nosside International Poetry Prize in Italy and the Award for Young Artist (Literary Arts) of the 2017 Hong Kong Arts Development Awards. In 2019, he won the 5th Haizi Poetry Award. He is a founding councilor of the Hong Kong Poetry Festival Foundation, executive director of the International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong, and editor-in-chief of Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine. He also serves as an advisor to various literary organisations.
Cha 