This short story collection paints complex characters, Macau myths and magic, all set in the former Portuguese  colony of Macau. Macau was one of the first European settlements in Asia (founded in 1557) and over some 450 years a unique Macanese culture developed, one that fused Europe and China to create an individual identity which, sadly, is in decline in the twenty-first century. Graeme Hall is a talented storyteller and his work has been published in English, Portuguese and Chinese.

 

"Death, persecution and failed ambitions are recurring themes. Their setting is also dilapidated. Macau appears as a former colonial society in decay with only a nod to the shining skyscrapers and casinos which characterize it today. But there is a poignant beauty in its decline and, more importantly, there is hope. The Goddess of Macau finds ways to salve the pain and the knowledge that she is among them provides comfort for the sufferers." - Asian Review of Books

 

"I love these stories. They're beautifully drawn with precise and delicate imagery that conjures a world of love and loss, memories and phantoms. Ghosts walk among the living. Characters cross closed borders, but are haunted - or stalked - by what they've left behind. This is a readable and enjoyable collection of stories which give a precious glimpse into a rich and unfamiliar world which is simultaneously graspable and tantalisingly out of reach."

-Ebba Brooks, writer, creative writing tutor and book festival founder


“There is a subtlety to Graeme’s writing, which is characterised by a sensitivity to the nuances of character and setting.  His stories unfold in a lyrical, understated style – a literary equivalent of pointillism.”

- Dr Rachel Connor, novelist, dramatist and Lecturer,  Leeds Beckett University

 

Includes prize-winning story from the 2018 lkley Short Story Competition. On story, And All Will Be Well, judge Nikesh Shukla said:

 

“An eerie coastal ghost story where the bewildering haunting of a boy takes a toll on his solitude and the hards edges of the community he finds himself in. An expert masterclass in tension and spooks.”

https://www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/posts/autumn-festival/2018-short-story-competition-results

 

About The Author:

 

In 2014 Graeme Hall abandoned the world of intellectual property law to become a novelist and short story writer. He has won the short story competitions of the Macau Literary Festival and the Ilkley Literature Festival, and his writing has been published in anthologies by Black Pear Press and the Macau Literary Festival.
Graeme lived in Hong Kong from 1993 to 2010 and still keeps a close connection to the city. His first novel was set in Hong Kong and Shanghai over the period 1996/97 and most of his writing comes from his love of that part of the world. Graeme first visited Macau in 1993 and he quickly became fascinated by the oldest European settlement in Asia. That visit was just the first of many trips to explore Macau’s unique mixture of Europe and China, and also to enjoy the chorizo and vinho verde. His current work in progress is a novel set in Macau in the years immediately following the Second World War.
He is an active member of the Leeds Writers Circle whose members have been a constant source of advice, support and encouragement. 
Graeme lives in Calderdale, West Yorkshire with his wife and a wooden dog.

EBOOK: The Goddess of Macau by Graeme Hall

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