Chinese Novels: 20 Classics

If, like me, you are a little in the dark about classic Chinese literature, you might appreciate this link sent to me by bachelorsdegreeonline - a list of 20 renowned Chinese novels.

'Water Margin' and 'Lust, Caution' are perhaps titles you will be familiar with but there are a host of other interesting ones to learn about.

Check out the page here.

Two new Eileen Chang collections published

In time for the release of the new film from director Ang Lee, Penguin Modern Classics has published two new collections of short stories by the author of 'Lust, Caution', Eileen Chang. One of them, 'Love in a Fallen City' includes some stories printed in English for the first time.

Eileen Chang rose to prominence in Shanghai during the 30s and 40s when the city was under Japanese occupation.

Unlike most other writers living in the 'fallen city', Chang chose not to adopt a Communist, opposing stance but rather integrated with, and set her writing in, the world of the new regime.

She caused controversy by marrying a high ranking local official in the Japan-backed government but her husband left her for another woman when the Japanese were defeated in 1945.

Chang left China and lived in Hong Kong for three years before moving to the United States in 1955 where she died, alone and a recluse, in 1995.


Her books remain massively popular in China and throughout Asia to this day and the new film adaptation of 'Lust, Caution starring Tony Leung and Wei Tang is released this Friday Jan 4th.

Related: The film 'Lust, Caution' (imdb)

Related: Lust, Caution (Amazon)

Related: Love in a Fallen City (Amazon)

Sweet Mandarin - the schools tour

The success of Helen Tse's bbc-themed novel Sweet Mandarin (currently sold in 33 countries) continues with an international schools tour. The ideas behind the tour such as teaching awareness of one's roots and "if I can do it so can you" certainly seem like positive messages to be taking to schools:



Well done, Helen!

Has anyone seen this book on Canto slang?

If there is anything that marks us out bbcs as not native Hong Kongers (besides our haircuts, facial expressions, laughing at British sitcoms and other 'gwai sing'), it's not knowing or using Cantonese slang words.

And Hong Kongers are so damn good at slang, too. The phrases are inventive, clever and often hilarious. And, of course, they can also be a little intimidating if you don't understand any of them.

A short primer on Canto slang can be found here (Warning: There's some rude stuff in the 'Swearing' section!) but this is just the tip of the (damn) iceberg.

If you want to really, learn some cocky, Hong Kong street talk, you might want to try and track down a copy of A Dictionary of Cantonese Slang.



As one reviewer puts it:

I must inform everyone that Cantonese has the most vivid descriptions and usages of slang of the entire Chinese language (yet, being the least awful sounding). How do I know, because I was born in that wonderful city of Hong Kong! It's my native tongue, so trust me, we know how to slang in style.

Amazon only seems to have used copies available at the time of writing, so I'm going to have to keep on searching...

Source.

'Sweet Mandarin' becomes a worldwide phenomenon

Little did I know when I first mentioned the bbc-themed novel 'Sweet Mandarin' back in February that it would go on to become a worldwide literary phenomenon.

It's a success story that has taken author Helen Tse around the world and introduced the 'bbc' story (albeit a quite remarkable one) to a whole new audience.

If you're in Edinburgh this month, you can catch Helen discussing her book at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on August 24th.

And here's a compilation of news clips about 'Sweet Mandarin' and some of the plaudits it has received:




Related: Helen Tse talks about her bbc-themed book, 'Sweet Mandarin'

"Bridget Jung's Diary": Asian Chick Lit in the U.S.

Chick lit has been a huge literary phenomenon in recent years both in the U.K. and in the States. Tales of rollercoaster romances and contemporary life from a female perspective have been extremely popular but there are signs that readers are starting to get tired of the same types of chick lit stories being told and retold. A case of "If you've met one Bridget Jones, you've met them all," maybe.

But as the San Francisco Chronicle reports, a new wave of Asian female authors seems to be giving the genre a whole new lease of life:

"A lot of people question the longevity of the genre, saying it's a fading fad, but the truth is, the genre isn't dying -- it's evolving," says Diana Szu, editor at the St. Martin's Press imprint Thomas Dunne Books, who acquired Yu and Kan's "China Dolls." "It's moving away from just being about shopping and designer labels, and tackling more serious issues ... And of course, you've seen the emergence of ethnic authors -- black and Latina and Asian American -- who are reinventing the genre in their own image."

Of course, reinvention doesn't mean throwing out the Manolos just because your hose has a run in it. Just because an author is Asian American doesn't mean that she has to beat readers over the head with the Joy Luck club.

Sounds like these books might be an enjoyable read, especially for female bbcs. Interestingly, this trend also has its detractors. A columnist on 8asians.com has questioned some of the authors' use of non-Asian sounding pen names.

Here's some more info on a few of the books mentioned in the article:




China Dolls by Michelle Yu and Blossom Kan.

The Dim Sum of All Things by Kim Wong Keltner.

Buddha Baby by Kim Wong Keltner.

In Full Bloom by Caroline Hwang.

Happy reading!