Xi Xi

Xi Xi (1937–2022) was one of the most beloved and acclaimed writers to have emerged from Hong Kong. A stylistic innovator across genres, she published more than thirty books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and was awarded the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature in 2019. In 1989, Xi Xi was diagnosed with breast cancer, prompting her to record her reflections and experiences in her 1992 semiautobiographical novel Mourning a Breast, from which these passages are taken.

Articles

The pitter-patter of falling water echoed in my ears, as though I could hear the squelching of soap on women’s skin. Supple flesh, water, the sweet scent of soap. When could I go swimming again? I didn’t know. I had no way of guessing, understanding, exploring, or predicting my fate. My mind swam with question marks, the answer to all of these questions the three words ‘I don’t know.’