A reading light at the end of a long dark tunnel

Xia Yu's autobiographical essay collection The Sound of Darkness is an immense dark cave, resounding with detonations, shrill sirens and harrowing wails.

The 47-year-old recounts in the collection his coming of age, from being a miner to a journalist. He tells of the experiences, of his fellow miners, migrant workers and other grassroots groups he encountered along the way.

"I am kidnapped by real life, and at the same time redeemed by it," he says.