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 ]
Audible has made great strides toward cornering the coveted Thirsty Parents market today by announcing that Fleabag‘s Hot Priest Andrew Scott will be narrating an audiobook collection of Beatrix Potter stories. Well played, Audible! I don’t have any children, but you better believe that my next... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-25 15:30:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audible will next month release an audiobook collection of Beatrix Potter stories, narrated by Andrew Scott. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-25 10:58:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Seeing its audiobook unit sales double year-over-year, Russia's digital retailer now has a new presence in the Polish market. The post Russian Ebook and Audiobook Player LitRes Opens Sales in Poland appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-07-23 05:30:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Independent audiobook publisher RB Media is redoubling its politics and current events publishing with the creation of a new imprint, Kalorama Audio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Crime writer A L Gaylin has recorded a fictional podcast episode in addition to the audio version of her new book. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-23 00:16:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this
News and Events WLT From left to right: Top: Emmanuel Carrère, Jorie Graham, Jessica Hagedorn. Middle: Eduardo Halfón, Ismail Kadare, Sahar Khalifeh. Bottom: Abdellatif Laâbi, Lee Maracle, Hoa Nguyen. World Literature Today, the University of... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-19 14:45:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook producer and retailer, announced a new feature that will allow its customers to listen to and read along with books at the same time. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-07-18 18:09:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audiobook selections for July cover a swath of the American landscape, from a western river to Louisiana’s gumbo belt. Relax and take it all in. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-07-12 10:58:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audiobook selections for July cover a swath of the American landscape, from a western river to Louisiana’s gumbo belt. Relax and take it all in. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-07-12 10:58:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audiobook selections for July cover a swath of the American landscape, from a western river to Louisiana’s gumbo belt. Relax and take it all in. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-07-12 10:58:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audiobook selections for July cover a swath of the American landscape, from a western river to Louisiana’s gumbo belt. Relax and take it all in. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-07-12 09:38:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this
David Walliams has narrated the audiobook of The Curse of the School Rabbit (HarperCollins), written and illustrated by Judith Kerr. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-10 12:22:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Condé Nast Pulls Investment From FarFetch [caption id="attachment_161701" align="alignright" width="150"] José Neves[/caption] Condé Nast pulled its nearly $300 million investment in the London-based luxury fashion retail marketplace FarFetch, following concerns about the management of the... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2019-07-09 18:18:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Paul McCartney will narrate the audiobook edition of his upcoming picture book, Hey Grandude! (Puffin), which is inspired by his experiences of being a grandfather. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-04 02:57:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A reader comes to terms with the role audiobooks play in her ability to be more mindful for the sake of her mental health, and considers reading life solutions. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-01 10:41:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this
HarperCollins’ Martha Ashby has snapped up a novel about "women’s bodily autonomy, motherhood and societal expectations" from American author and Publishers Weekly reviewer Donna Freitas in a six-figure pre-empt. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-25 18:53:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Sweden’s Bonnier has announced a sweeping expansion in Europe of its BookBeat digital service, multiplying by seven times its former reach in terms of markets for audiobooks and ebooks. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson Service Has More Than 50,000 Audiobooks and Ebooks he... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-06-24 12:55:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audiobook streaming service BookBeat has launched in 24 new European markets, making the service available in 28 countries overall. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-24 12:31:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Haitian American author's new collection, 'Everything Inside,' explores the ethereal and urgent influence of Haiti on its stories’ characters. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this