Award-winning writer Wong Bik-wan first realised her identity as a writer when she was questioned by a US immigration officer in 1987. The officer asked Wong to declare her profession and she replied: 'I am a writer'.
'I was very happy. This was the first time that I confirmed my identity [as a writer],' the 43-year-old said. The amusing anecdote illustrates the reality of being a writer: self-realisation, rather than fame and money, is often the only and biggest reward of writing.
This month, Wong - who studied dance in Spain after quitting her job as a trainee solicitor - will bring the collection of stories in her latest book, The Silent, The Obscure and The Small from page to stage via a solo performance that mixes dance with recitations from the book.
In her book, Wong says that Hong Kong is not the same as before. What seems to bother her is that life is so bogged down by daily hardships that the only solution is to remain silent.
'In Hong Kong our work determines everything. As a full human being, if we don't have enough leisure time, we have no means to develop our relationships with people and our own interests.'
The book is split into three sections: The Silent Curse, The Obscure Things and The Small Posture.
In The Obscure Things, Wong uses narratives of characters from the working or exploited class such as office ladies, social workers, security guards and mental patients to illustrate the absurdity of a city life that almost resembles slavery.
