To Modern Fables, Tom Choi

To Modern Fables is a book of poetry by Tom Choi, containing 46 poems. The verses are divided into three Part 1 records the mental dynamics of a young man as his relationship with someone he loves proceeds (or rather comes to an end). Part 2 focuses on the poet’s reflection on his upbringing in the urban life of Hong Kong and on how his mode of thinking and writing is influenced by his Chinese cultural background therein. Part 3 (Ethics of Thought) reflects the poet’s long philosophizing about the individual pitted against his time. The content shows the poet’s attempt to draw inspiration from both the Western literary tradition and his native Chinese heritage (especially Chinese mythology) in response to the questions of modernity. The last two bilingual pieces seek to reconcile the histo-cultural tensions between the East and the West in a poetical vision. In a globalized yet fragmented world/social setting, the overarching object of the book is the representation of the psychological outlook of a young man who tries hard to grapple with and reconcile the diverse (and at times conflicting) values in the 21st century.