In this golden autumn season of October, what impression will be left for people inside and outside Macao, after we have pressed the restart button of the city? We believe that it no longer bears the stereotype of material indulgence, and people will be more intrigued to probe into its unique ‘temperament’, wishing to explore its ‘secrets’ at a deeper level. In this issue of Books and the City, we will lead readers to explore the secrets of Macao with three key phrases: ‘city of poets’, preservation and childlike innocence.
The first key phrase is ‘city of poets’. Macao boasts of fertile soil for the growth of poets, where poets of different generations have striven to burst through the soil for attention, appreciation, recognition and remembrance. Readers who love poetry have also endeavoured to absorb this essence from the works as much as possible, just like a sponge would. The ‘Feature’ section of this issue interviews with four distinctive Macao-based poets. They share the same affirmation of the positive influence that Macao as a ‘city of poets’ has exerted on their works, from which we will be able to reconstruct a multifaceted and picturesque Macao.
The second key phrase is preservation. How can we preserve our favourite books properly against the humid climate of Southern China? There is a lot to learn. What can be done if one of our favourite poetry books has become mildewed due to damp weather? In this issue’s ‘Library Wonder Why’, we are addressing these concerns by providing quick tips for preserving books that you can easily grasp. We have also interviewed Filip Vu Vai Kiong, a senior technician from the Division for Developing Bibliographic Resources who is responsible for the microform collection, to uncover the facts about microfilms, and find out how he skilfully preserves ‘time’ inside the microfilm boxes.
The third key phrase is childlike innocence. This issue’s ‘Author’s Say’ section features Portuguese writer Catarina Mesquita, who has daringly established the publishing brand ‘Mandarina Books’, offering children’s books that are ‘made in Macao’. The book Na Rua is the fruit of a highly challenging bilingual production process; what is the story behind?
Open this issue of Books and the City to find the answers to all these questions, you will gain a better understanding of Macao.