Books
Monday, 03 August 2009 09:08
Written by Echo Yu
Years after her death, the famous ‘lost’ Eileen Chang book is released
Before she died in 1995, the famed Shanghainese author (best known today for Lust, Caution, thanks to Ang Lee) ordered that her final work be burned. Now, 14 years later, the executor of her estate, Stephen Soong, has insisted on publishing Xiao Tuan Yuan (Little Reunion).
When it was unveiled in Taiwan and Hong Kong earlier this year, the intimate memoir (or semi-autobiographical novel, if you will) immediately shot up the bestseller charts. Now, by popular demand, a mainland version has been released. It’s no surprise: the book uncovers the most controversial parts of the legendary writer’s life – namely her marriage to Hu Lancheng, who was considered a national traitor at the time (and who recently passed away, easing Soong’s reservations about publishing the book) – adding plenty of gossip-worthy material to Chang’s legacy. Known for her austere irony and delicate descriptions, Chang draws back the curtain on her family’s darkest secrets: incest, betrayal and revenge. Unlike her previous books,
Little Reunion is sexually explicit, and directly expresses her disappointment and indignation at the men who made a mess of her life.
Show/hide comments
Show/hide comment form
