Can We Truly Be Free of Our Past? A Conversation with Wendy Chen, by Xixuan Collins Interviews [email protected] Mon, 04/29/2024 - 15:10 An epic family saga that spans over one hundred years and two countries, Wendy Chen’s powerful, lyrical debut, Their Divine Fires (Algonquin, forthcoming on May 7, 2024), is about history, love, passion, loyalty, betrayal, and our desire to be free of our past. In the novel, four generations of women survived the formidable hardship in China during the tumultuous twentieth century—the warlord melee, the Communist–Nationalist civil war, the Japanese invasion, and the Cultural Revolution—each emerging with unspeakable loss and heartache yet undampened spirit for life and the future. An intimate study of family relationships with the backdrop of a chaotic, changing world, this book provides a perspective on Chinese history rarely seen in American literature. Xixuan Collins: You capture the emotions of the four generations of Chinese and Chinese American women so vividly. You have said that you were inspired by your grandmother’s stories of her mother and uncles and the ways they fought, lived, and died for what they believed in. Can you tell us a little more about the story behind your story; that is, what was the moment when you realized you had a story to tell and you felt compelled to sit down and write this novel? Wendy Chen: My grandmother would always tell me stories of her family when I... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2024-04-29 20:10:46 UTC ]
Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-28 13:15:15 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-27 13:15:11 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-26 13:15:47 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-25 13:15:31 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-24 13:15:01 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-21 13:15:06 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-20 13:15:38 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-19 13:15:06 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-18 13:15:56 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-17 14:45:39 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-14 13:30:40 UTC ]
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For his first novel in nine years, Wally Lamb draws on his battles with self-doubt and addiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-13 13:30:12 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-12 13:30:55 UTC ]
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Ten years ago this month, Hanya Yanagihara threw a wrench in the literary world with the publication of her Dickensian doorstop, A Little Life. Featuring four queer men growing up and together in New York high society—and also, many grim depictions of child abuse and ultra-violence—the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-12 13:13:49 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-11 13:30:22 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-10 13:30:00 UTC ]
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Discussing Dream Count, her first novel in 12 years, the Nigerian author shares her thoughts on masculinity, political chaos, and the future of fiction. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2025-03-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-06 14:28:36 UTC ]
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Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-05 14:30:44 UTC ]
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