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 ]
Benedicte Page reflects on the current status of literary fiction and the role of independent publishers in the book industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (Bloomsbury) has triumphed over competition from the likes of Hilary Mantel and George Saunders to be crowned the best Man Booker Prize winner of the last 50 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Super Thursday will fall on 4th October this year, The Bookseller can reveal, when a whopping 544 new hardbacks will be hitting shelves—40 more than on last year’s equivalent day—all vying for a slice of the lucrative Christmas book market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders was named Audiobook of the year at the annual Audie Awards, presented by the Audio Publishers Association in the US. The post George Saunders’ ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ Tops 2018 Audie Awards for Random House appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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George Saunders, Hilary Mantel and Michael Ondaatje are among the names to have been shortlisted for the Golden Man Booker Prize, created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the coveted literary award. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Finland by way of Kosovo, as well as the UK, Israel, Nigeria, Sweden, Spain, and the United States, the writers of our roundup are producing thrillers, literary fiction, memoir, children's historically reflective work and, of course, children's stories. The post Bologna Rights Roundup: Nine... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With biography, autobiography, children's literature, new Nordic noir, literary fiction, and a mystery that rides with the Tour de France, we look at several interesting sales stories and rights action the authors of which include a Syrian concert pianist. The post Rights Roundup: Eight Titles... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Topped by Margaret Atwood, the UK’s Top 10 bestselling authors of literary fiction last year features only one male writer, Haruki MurakamiFlying in the face of Norman Mailer’s infamous comment that “a good novelist can do without everything but the remnant of his balls”, Haruki Murakami was the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Jilly Cooper has said that literary fiction should not receive state support, arguing instead that the money would be better spent on the declining newspaper industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I’m not surprised sales of literary fiction are in decline – too many authors fail to engage their readers with any sort of story• Tim Lott is an author and journalistFollowing the announcement from Arts Council England that sales of literary fiction are plummeting, it is suggested that arts... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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India’s answer to Lear, a teen tale set amid the London riots and the first great book on grime. Experts pick 2017’s smartest, oddest and most overlooked readsCo-director, Tramp Press Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Like most audiobook buffs, I multitask; listening to a great actor read a great book is one of the rare things that makes regular workouts endurable. Still, there are always a few releases each year that are so transfixing they make any additional activity impossible. They might leave me... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2017-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Overall the books selling well' in the UK 'are not literary,' Arts Council England's commissioned report from the Canelo team announces. The post Arts Council England’s Alarm for Literary Fiction: ‘The Problem Is a Real One’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arts Council England has pledged to engage with more bookshops, fund more writers and lobby the government to provide tax relief to independent publishers following a report finding that “the general trend for literary fiction is a negative one”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arts Council England’s report into the crisis in literary fiction should serve as a "wake up call" to the industry which needs to "radically rethink" how it presents the genre, the chief executive of Curtis Brown has warned. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since its inception in 2014, BookCon has mainly drawn women in the 18 to 30-year-old age bracket, but organizer ReedPop is adding more programming for the 2018 event to attract readers interested in literary fiction, mystery/thriller, sci fi/fantasy and romance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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George Saunders has become the second American author to win the £50,000 Man Booker Prize for his first full-length novel, Lincoln in the Bardo (Bloomsbury). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie booksellers are divided on who they think will take home the Man Booker Prize, with a few backing fellow bookseller Fiona Mozley for her debut Elmet (JM Originals), while others have hinted they are expecting Ali Smith or George Saunders to claim the prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The winner of the Man Booker Prize, one of the world's most prestigious literary awards, will be announced Tuesday afternoon, and American author George Saunders is the odds-on favorite to take it home. The Guardian reports that Saunders’ “Lincoln in the Bardo,” a novel about Abraham Lincoln... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The prize used to champion unknowns and outsiders. But a 2014 rule change has cemented the neo-colonial cultural dominance of the US and the UKThe upstairs room of an indie bookstore. A book launch for a local author. Crisps and wine are being handed out, a buzz is in the air, congratulations... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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