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 ]
Just days ahead of the debut of the film adaptation of 'If I Stay,' Gayle Forman’s novel was once again the top seller in Apple’s iBooks store. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Just over a week ahead of the release of the film adaptation of 'If I Stay,' Gayle Forman's novel, once again, took the top spot on Apple's iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The memoir of an Al Qaeda double agent will be released this August and 'Captain Phillips' helmer Paul Greengrass could direct the film adaptation. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A week after the first trailer for the film adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey" dropped, the book hit #1 on Apple's chart. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After the first trailer for the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey dropped on July 24, lighting up the internet, the first book in E.L. James's trilogy shot back up to the top of Amazon's bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the run up to the July 4 release of the film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars in Spain, John Green’s novel jumped four places on the country’s fiction list, landing in the top spot for June. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has hit back at the American Author's Guild for calling its offer to temporarily give... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"The Fault in Our Stars" author will discuss Fox's film adaptation of his novel, alongside the team behind the movie. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The movie will be based on the memoir by journalist Kim Barker, a darkly comic look at reporting in the Middle East. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin imprint Allen Lane will publish a new book from American author and business journalist... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After the January 10 release of the film adaptation of the book, Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson's "Lone Survivor" hit the top of the Apple iBooks bestseller chart for the week ended January 13. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the lead-up to the January 10 release of the film adaptation of Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson's 2007 "Lone Survivor," the book jumped five spots to #2, for the week ended January 6. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rita Ora confirms that she will play the role of Mia in the film adaptation of EL James' book series. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling will write the screenplay for a film adaptation of the Potter book 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' and the movie will center on the adventures of textbook author Newt Scamander. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling will write the screenplay for a film adaptation of the Potter book 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' and the movie will center on the adventures of textbook author Newt Scamander. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mad Men actress cast in film adaptation of the controversial best selling book Flowers in the Attic. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Walt Disney Studios is developing a film adaptation of the first two novels in Eoin Colfer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's memoir 'Wild' will be brought to the big screen by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tom Hanks is expected to reprise his role as Robert Langdon in the film adaptation of Dan Brown... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orbit has acquired a fantasy retelling of the events of the Second World War by American author... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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