About a good fall in his first book of stories since the bridegroom, national book awardwinning author ha jin gives us a collection that delves into the experience of chinese immigrants in america. With the same profound attention to detail that is a hallmark of his previous acclaimed works of. National book award winner ha jin writes about the tribulations of life in chinese society with dark humor and an economical but effective prose style. Books by ha jin goodreads meet your next favorite book. Jins quiet but absorbing second novel after in the pond captures the poignant dilemma of an ordinary man who misses the best opportunities in his life simply by trying to do his dutyas defined fi. Stories vintage international kindle edition by jin, ha. The immigrants in ha jins latest story collection seem to be in exile not only from the china of their dreams and memories, but from their very. A lonely composer takes comfort in the antics of his girlfriends parakeet. The books centerpiece, and one of its longest stories, in the crossfire, may be the biggest example of what jin is getting at. Bridget allison, phoenix books, essex, vt view the list. First collection of short fiction in nine years from expatriate novelist ha jin a.
Nov 25, 2009 jin, who has set seven of his nine works of fiction in asia, chose to meet in flushing because that is the setting for the stories in his new collection, a good fallfresh territory for the. Under the red flag, which won the flannery oconnor award for short fiction. The lastest from national book award winner and bu professor ha jin is a collection of twelve short stories unfolding in and around queens, new york citys most richly diverse borough. Ha jins latest shortstory collection continues developing one of his favorite themes. Chicago suntimes, national book awardwinning ha jin gives us a collection that delves into the experience of chinese immigrants in america. It took more than ten days for the mail to reach sichuan, and usually. Ha jins fourth story collection, a good fall, consists of twelve short stories, each focusing on the experiences of chinese american immigrants working hard to improve their lives in a country.
Chinese emigre ha jins stories reflect daily life of exiles. Ha jin reads a good fall bostonia winterspring 2010. In his first book of stories since the bridegroom, national book awardwinning author ha jin gives us a collection that delves into the experience of chinese. In his first book of stories since the bridegroom was published in 2000 finely wrought. His books include waiting, winner of the penfaulkner award and the national book award. From national book awardwinner jin waiting comes a new collection that focuses on flushing, one of new york citys largest chinese immigrant commun. In an interview published in asia week in 1999, ha jin comments on lins inability to love. With skill and spareness, he uses the dozen stories in a good fall to dramatize lives in which hope has been crushed rather than abandoned, in which the struggle to find a place to live becomes. He has turned out remarkable novels, short stories, and poetry all the more remarkable considering he only began writing in english in the late 1980s. The immigrants in ha jins latest story collection seem to be in exile not only from the china of their dreams and memories, but from their very sense of who they are. A good fall is at times tragic, at others humorous, yet persistently enchanting. His notable novels included waiting 2000 and war trash 2004. He grew up during the cultural revolution, served in the army, and earned both his ba and ma at chinese institutions before arriving in the us on a student visa to pursue a phd in english at brandeis university.
Even the children of immigrants, or those who immigrated long ago, still feel the chains tying them to the homeland, whether they parted with it peacefully or feel they escaped a cruel, unfair nation. Like most immigrant stories, these tales are at once universal and particularmarked by the familiar adjustments needed to survive in a new place, which in this. He received the national book award, two penfaulkner awards, the penhemingwa. The melting pot in ha jins new collection, a good fall, resembles a simmering chinese hot pot, where varied ingredients complement each other in flavor, yet each keeps its distinct taste, rather. Ha jin earned his masters degree at shandong university in china, and in 1986 came to the united states to begin his doctoral work at brandeis. Ha jin left his native china in 1985 to attend brandeis university. Ha jin, chinese american writer who used plain, unadorned english prose to explore the tension between the individual and the family, the modern and the traditional, and personal feelings and duty. Ha jin has 37 books on goodreads with 80768 ratings. Stories vintage international kindle edition by jin. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the.
He presents a wide range of protagonists from a graduate student and young professor. Communist china uses propaganda and force to hide the truth from the public, as well as controlling them in a sense. He won the national book award and the penfaulkner award for. Ha jin was born in liaoning, china, in 1956, and moved to america in 1984. Dec 01, 2009 first collection of short fiction in nine years from expatriate novelist ha jin a free life, 2007, etc.
Jin, who has set seven of his nine works of fiction in asia, chose to meet in flushing because that is the setting for the stories in his new collection, a good fallfresh territory for the. Stark, deeply moving, acutely insightful, and often strikingly humorous, a good fall reminds us once again of. Ha jins new book, a good fall, explores chinain america wsj. My sister yuchin and i used to write each other letters. He presents a wide range of protagonists from a graduate student and young professor to a presser in a garment factory to a monk and draws their characters so well you feel like you know them, even within the confines of a short story.
Jan 03, 2010 the immigrants in ha jins latest story collection seem to be in exile not only from the china of their dreams and memories, but from their very sense of who they are. In his first book of stories since the bridegroom, national book awardwinning author ha jin gives us a collection that delves into the experience of chinese immigrants in america. All of ha jin s characters struggle to remain loyal to their homeland and its traditions while also exploring the freedom that life in a new country offers. Ha jin, author of waiting, returns to short stories with a good fall, which is set among chinese immigrants in flushing, queens. All of ha jins characters struggle in situations that stir their conflicting desires to remain attached to their native land and traditions while also exploring their newfound social and economic freedoms.
I know ha jin writes them in this ok i just cannot get along too well with ha jin. Ha jin a collection of stories by chineseamerican writer ha jin in which he discusses, among other topics, the experience of chinese immigrants in the united states as they face daily struggles and long to. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Waitings main character, lin kong, is commonly criticized as indecisive and unable to love. He formerly taught at emory university in atlanta, georgia. His dissertation was on modernist poets such as pound, eliot, auden, and yeats because, as he told dave weich of powells city. By clayton moore and special to the denver post special to the denver. Ha jin was born xuefei jin in liaoning province, china.
In 1969, at only 14 years of age, ha jin joined the peoples liberation army based at the northeastern border between china and the former soviet union. A good fall by ha jin is a collection of short stories dealing with the lives of chinese immigrants to the u. His newest books are a free life 2007, the writer as migrant 2008, a good fall 2009 and nanjing requiem pantheon 2011. Like most immigrant stories, these tales are at once universal and. Ha jin s fourth story collection, a good fall, consists of twelve short stories, each focusing on the experiences of chinese american immigrants working hard to improve their lives in a country. All of ha jins characters struggle to remain loyal to their homeland and its traditions while also exploring the freedom that life in a new country offers. Id had two girlfriends before, but each had left me, states the young man narrating the story choice. Ha jins new book, a good fall, explores chinain america. He is the author of eight novels, four story collections, three volumes of poetry, and a book of essays. These are the challenges for immigrant and exile alike.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Starredcrossed lovers are the meat of tragedy the world over, and when political upheaval is thrown into the same pot, youre almost guaranteed a pretty substantial stew. Figuring out what to keep, what to adopt and what to discard. Jin s quiet but absorbing second novel after in the pond captures the poignant dilemma of an ordinary man who misses the best opportunities in his life simply by trying to do his dutyas defined fi. Zhivago about a married army doctor who falls in love with a nurse during the cultural revolution, by chinese exile ha jin in the pond, 1998, etc. Ha jin, pseudonym of xuefei jin, born february 21, 1956, jinzhou, liaoning province, china, chinese american writer who used plain, unadorned english prose to explore the tension between the individual and the family, the modern and the traditional, and personal feelings and duty jin had only a brief, incomplete education before the schools in china closed in 1966 at the beginning of the. The characters who inhabit the stories in a good fall, a new collection by national book awardwinner ha jin, are chinese immigrants of various stripes, all living or working in the queens, new york, neighborhood of flushing. He is the author of eight novels, four story collections, a book of essays, and six books of poetry. National book awardwinner ha jin brings us a collection of stories that delve into the experiences of chinese immigrants in america. Ha jin writes waiting and in this book he comments and portrays communist china in great detail. According to a recent survey, 94% of all copies ordered a good fall ha jin essay from our professionals will be delivered before the deadline.
Ha jins new shortstory collection, a good fall, takes. Jin currently teaches at boston university in boston, massachusetts. Stark, deeply moving, acutely insightful, and often strikingly humorous, a good fall reminds us once. The narrators and characters in a good fall, his new story collection featuring a cast of chinese immigrants, express their feelings and the reasons for them bluntly. In his first book of stories since the bridegroom was published in 200. Xuefei jin, who writes under the pseudonym ha jin, was born in 1956 in liaoning province in northern china. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a good fall. Analyzing waiting by ha jin essay 892 words bartleby.
The stories themselves all about chinese immigrants in flushing, nyc are not bad, some of them are even very intriguing but the endings. Nov 24, 2009 all of ha jin s characters struggle to remain loyal to their homeland and its traditions while also exploring the freedom that life in a new country offers. First collection of short fiction in nine years from expatriate novelist ha jin a free life, 2007, etc. He was inducted to the american academy of arts and letters in 2014. For all their meticulous attention to the immigrant experience, ha jins books leave little to the imagination. Stark, deeply moving, acutely insightful, and often strikingly humorous, a good fall reminds us once again of the storytelling prowess of this superb writer. He has received the national book award, two penfaulkner awards, the pen. Photo of author ha jin from the jacket of his latest book, the fall ran on. A good fall by ha jin meet your next favorite book. His newest work, a collection of short stories, focuses on individuals who struggle to reconcile their cultural identities with their new and disparate surroundings. Our experts are available 247 to help customers send their jobs on time, even if they only have 12 hours left before the deadline.