GLIMPSES ACROSS HISTORY
From Ma’s Journal
History leaves its marks on the world. Ma remembers the people who lived through it.
These original fictional reflections imagine Ma Zhishen witnessing moments in history, from quiet acts of courage to events that changed lives. They draw on historical settings but are not genuine historical documents or passages from the novels.
Journal archive
News in Westminster
November 5, 1605 — London, England. I had gone to Westminster to purchase ink when I found a small crowd gathered outside the stationer’s shop.
The First Step
November 4, 1922 — Valley of the Kings, Egypt. I had hired a guide named Farid to show me the royal tombs.
Mrs. Bell’s First Vote
November 2, 1920 — United States. Mrs. Bell had spent the previous week arguing politics with the boarders. On election morning, she was unusually quiet.