Interviews Weina Dai Randel burst onto the literary scene a number of years ago with her duology about Empress Wu Zetian, China’s first woman leader. After winning the prestigious Rita Award in 2017 and seeing her novels translated into seven languages, she is back now with a new historical novel set in 1940s Shanghai. Keeping with her love of strong women characters, her new book, The Last Rose of Shanghai, centers on a nightclub owner named Aiyi Shao who falls for a Jewish refugee who had recently escaped Nazi Germany. Through their love of jazz, they develop a forbidden bond set during one of Shanghai’s most volatile and exciting eras. Randel is the first Chinese American author to write about Shanghai Jewish refugees, although there have been dozens of memoirs, narratives, and novels about this phenomenon from Jewish authors. We recently spoke over Zoom about what made Shanghai so special and why it matters now, along with the reasons Jews escaped to Shanghai during World War II and how Chinese and Jewish traditions are so similar. Susan Blumberg-Kason: It seems that the popularity of 1930s and ’40s Shanghai rose both in China and the US about twenty-five years ago. Can you talk about the appeal of this time and why it’s so special, both to people in the US and China? Weina Dai Randel: I think many aspects of Old Shanghai appeal to us today. From the late 1920s to the early 1940s, the period of Old Shanghai was a symbol of... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2022-01-20 14:33:49 UTC ]
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When the Sensibility of Art Meets the Pragmatism of Science: A Conversation with Tlotlo Tsamaase, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye Interviews [email protected] Wed, 07/26/2023 - 15:13 Photo by Lorraine KinnearTlotlo Tsamaase’s science fiction... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-26 20:13:50 UTC ]
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Finding a Good Story in Every Corner: A Conversation with José Eduardo Agualusa, by Anderson Tepper Interviews [email protected] Mon, 07/24/2023 - 15:01 © Rosa CunhaOver the past fifteen years, I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with the... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-24 20:01:34 UTC ]
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The Beauty and Importance of Our Names: A Conversation with Yejide Kilanko, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye Interviews [email protected] Mon, 07/24/2023 - 09:09 Photo by Oluwafikunmi KilankoAmong the shortlisted short stories for this year’s edition... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-24 14:09:47 UTC ]
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Stories Are All about Taking up Space: A Conversation with Ekemini Pius, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye Interviews [email protected] Thu, 07/20/2023 - 15:08 Photo by Offlong EkpenyongThe first week of July, the Caine Prize for African Writing... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-20 20:08:39 UTC ]
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Interconnected Ecologies: A Conversation with Kathryn Savage, by Jennifer Croft Interviews [email protected] Wed, 07/19/2023 - 13:29 Kathryn Savage / Photo by Melissa LukenbaughKathryn Savage’s Groundglass (Coffee House Press, 2022) explores the... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-19 18:29:25 UTC ]
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Letting a Wild Ride Be a Wild Ride: A Conversation with Amy Spangler, by Ipek Sahinler & Iclal Vanwesenbeeck Interviews [email protected] Wed, 07/05/2023 - 14:43 Amy Spangler is the co-translator (with Nermin Menemencioğlu) of Leylâ Erbil’s A... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-05 19:43:55 UTC ]
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The Presence of the Past in Good Night, Irene: A Conversation with Luis Alberto Urrea, by Renee H. Shea Interviews [email protected] Fri, 05/26/2023 - 13:30 The author’s mother, Phyllis Irene McLaughlinAward-winning writer Luis Alberto Urrea... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-05-26 18:30:53 UTC ]
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In a series of intimate discussions, authors, comics creators, and artists will give readers an inside look at their latest titles and forthcoming books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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First-time authors Alice Carrière, Tereh Shelton Harris, and Kelsey James will discuss their forthcoming books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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AAPI Communities in Conversation will feature a series of panels centered on Asian American and Pacific Islander voices, books, cultures, and experiences, and feature authors, creators, and librarians. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Charles Frazier, who will forever be known for Cold Mountain, his National Book Award winning, mega-selling 1997 first novel, opens his fifth novel, The Trackers, with an image that tells us exactly what we’re in for, and also reveals the author’s inspiration. “In a muddy black-and-white... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-04 08:53:48 UTC ]
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Finding “Enough”: A Conversation with Nicole Chung, by Renee H. Shea Interviews [email protected] Mon, 04/03/2023 - 21:13 Writer and editor Nicole Chung is the author of the best-selling memoir All You Can Ever Know (Catapult, 2018), the story of... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-04-04 02:13:03 UTC ]
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Two years after her apparent suicide, the novelist has announced she is still very much alive. Is this what it takes to sell books nowadays?‘All publicity is good publicity,” Susan Meachen thought to herself as she prepared to stage her suicide. In September 2020, Meachen, the self-published... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-01-11 07:00:12 UTC ]
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Brina will appear in conversation with Elizabeth Joseph of New Rochelle Public Library. The live stream is set for Tuesday, December 6th at 1 p.m. ET. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Susan Weinberg, executive v-p and publisher at Perseus Books, will succeed Dan Reynolds at Workman, who is retiring at the end of the year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-30 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Moving its dates for a third time this year, the Shanghai Children's Book Fair is changing venue in an effort to host the event in December. The post Shanghai’s Children’s Book Fair Changes Venue Amid COVID Constraints appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-09 18:16:05 UTC ]
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Lo will appear in conversation with Cristina Mitra of the San Francisco Public Library. The live stream is set for Tuesday, November 1, at 1 p.m ET. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Wang is set to appear in conversation with Crystal Chen of the New York Public Library. The live stream is set for Tuesday, September 6 at 1 PM ET. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Yang is set to appear in conversation with Karen Wang of the New York Public Library. The live stream is set for Tuesday, August 2 at 1 PM ET. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A memoir by the late Susan Fleming Marx, Harpo Marx's widow, finally comes to light 20 years after her death. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-21 13:39:48 UTC ]
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