Inspector Chen Collections

The poems in the present collection are compiled chronologically. Some of them have appeared—either entirely or partially—in the Chen novels, but with his writing in a hurry under the stress of the job, he usually takes time later to revise them, so the poems here may show difference, sometimes substantial, from the original versions. And some of them, either written in his pre-inspector days, or conceived in fragments only in his mind, now appear for the first time in the collection here.

For the Inspector Chen series, one of the most commonly asked questions from the readers is: How much is Inspector Chen and how much is Qiu Xiaolong? It is tricky question since selves are being continuously constructed and deconstructed in the interaction among others, not just between the characters and the author. Relatedly, how Chen became Inspector Chen, and how I came to write the Inspector Chen series? So this small book was written partially in response to the questions. It was also done for so many readers anxious for the new Inspector Chen novels. In fact, Hold Your Breath, China, the latest in the series, is coming out in French and Italian in November, and hopefully in English soon. Before that, Inspector Chen and Me may serve as an appetizer.