Editor Publishes Novel by 17-Year-Old Suicide Victim, Seeing It as Voice of His Generation
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago3 MIN
Summary
This is the story of how a grieving father's simple wish transformed into a publishing decision that speaks to the silent struggles of an entire generation. In 2023, 17-year-old Wong Wing-hau took his own life on the day Hong Kong's Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) results were released, ending his life at Kai Yip Estate in Kowloon Bay. What he left behind was not just a father shattered by loss, but a philosophical novel exploring the meaning of existence. His audio will, recorded like a late-night radio DJ speaking from the heart, asked his father to publish The Void Man—a novel that weaves together the thoughts of Nietzsche, Camus, and Dostoevsky. The father, Huang Keung, has only primary school education and could not read the manuscript. After many attempts to find help, he reached editor Wu Ji-zhen at Blue Sky Publishing. Wu listened to the recording, read the manuscript, and was struck by the maturity of a teenager grappling with existential questions that transcend age. Despite knowing the book would not break even financially, Wu committed to publishing it in full, arguing that publishing carries a social responsibility to give voice to hidden wounds in society.
Key Points
- Wong Wing-hau, 17, died by suicide on the 2023 HKDSE results day at Kai Yip Estate in Kowloon Bay, leaving behind the novel The Void Man and an audio will directing his father to publish it
- The father, Huang Keung, has only primary one education and could not read his son's philosophical manuscript, requiring help from a teacher before reaching editor Wu Ji-zhen at Blue Sky Publishing
- Editor Wu Ji-zhen was deeply moved by the audio will, describing it as sounding like a late-night radio programme where the speaker thanked his father and expressed he did not blame him
- The novel The Void Man explores human existence through Nietzsche, Camus, and Dostoevsky, and Wu Ji-zhen compares it to Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, viewing it as a product of its era
- Wu Ji-zhen expects to lose money publishing the book but believes publishing carries social responsibility, noting that each suicide affects at least six people and many trauma survivors lack outlets
- Wu Ji-zhen decided to publish the manuscript unchanged, only correcting obvious typos, arguing that even misunderstanding of philosophers is part of the authentic growth process
Why It Matters
The publication of The Void Man opens a difficult conversation about youth mental health and existential crisis in Hong Kong. Wu Ji-zhen's decision challenges the assumption that books must be positive or instructive, arguing instead that literature can serve as a mirror for difficult emotions that society often represses. By preserving the teenager's authentic exploration—including his uncertainty and possible misinterpretations of philosophical ideas—the book becomes a rare document of how young people process contemporary pressures. This publishing act suggests that Hong Kong's publishing industry can play a meaningful role in addressing accumulated societal trauma that often goes unspoken.
The publication of The Void Man opens a difficult conversation about youth mental health and existential crisis in Hong Kong. Wu Ji-zhen's decision challenges the assumption that books must be positive or instructive, arguing instead that literature can serve as a mirror for difficult emotions that society often represses. By preserving the teenager's authentic exploration—including his uncertainty and possible misinterpretations of philosophical ideas—the book becomes a rare document of how young people process contemporary pressures. This publishing act suggests that Hong Kong's publishing industry can play a meaningful role in addressing accumulated societal trauma that often goes unspoken.