Novelist pauline chen wrote her pareddown retelling of dream of the red chamber after struggling to get through the original. The americanborn daughter of taiwanese parents, she grew up amidst long islands endless strip malls and was determinedshe wrote in july 2012 at tribute booksto shed her provincial upbringing. The novel is slow going, as the reader is introduced to the many characters and at times, its hard to keep everyone straight. Pauline chen builds the red chamber around memorable characters from a chinese classic. The red chamber canters along quickly thanks to the authors ability to stop effortlessly into another time and place. Chen readily admits she strayed from the original complex plot and instead imagines the lives of three women destined to dwell within the confines of a concubine. When orphaned daiyu leaves her home in the provinces to ta. Chen brings to life three unforgettable women trapped by class, time and circumstance set in beijing at the end of the 18th centurywhich is when all 2,500 pages of the original were writtenthe novel is the story of daiyu, her cousin baochai and her. I was struggling with the ordinary challenges of caring for a newborn. Some may be unhappy at the changes that have been made in this novel, but if its taken as a separated, individual novel rather than a reworking. While it doesnt hold a candle to the original in length or its tolstoyesque cast of characters, this revamped version retains much of its predecessors spirit. Dream of the red chamber, also called the story of the stone and a dream of red mansions, composed by cao xueqin, is one of chinas four great classical novels.
Dream of the red chamber wikisource, the free online library. Knopf, cao xueqin, cheng weiyuan, david hawkes, final exam. Vintage books, april 20 pauline chens boldly imagined retelling of the dream of the red chamber is a literary wonder. The red chamber is a grandiose piece of literature. A retelling of the chinese classic hong lou meng or dream of the red chamber by cao xueqin.
While it doesnt hold a candle to the original in length or its to. In red chamber, a love triangle for the ages ncpr news. In eighteenthcentury china, the beautiful orphan daiyu leaves her home in the provinces to seek shelter with her mothers family in beijing. The red chamber is based on the 18th century chinas classic novel, dreams of the red chamber. Chens blog surviving cancer and writing the red chamber two weeks after giving birth to my first child leo, i was forced to confront the realization that i was not recovering as i should. Pauline chen s boldly imagined retelling of the dream of the red chamber is a literary wonder. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for.
Pauline chens the red chamber is a captivating read from the getgo, especially in that it provides the right balance of historical context while not detracting from the depths of the main characters. This is a wellcrafted novel full of skill and grace from an author to watch out for, sunday business post a compelling new version of chinas great masterpiece. Pauline chen was born in california, and grew up in stony brook, new york. An epic reimagining of the chinese classic dream of the red chamber, set against the breathtaking backdrop of eighteenthcentury beijing, where the lives of three unforgettable women collide in the inner chambers of a ducal mansion. In red chamber, a love triangle for the ages before most chinese readers learned of romeo and juliet, they fell for dream of the red chamber. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet. Aug 01, 20 i have never read dream of the red chamber but decided to pick up this novel as a condensed version of the aforementioned. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the red chamber. In this lyrical reimagining of the chinese classic dream of the red chamber, set against the breathtaking backdrop of ei. Pauline chen s the red chamber is a captivating read from the getgo, especially in that it provides the right balance of historical context while not detracting from the depths of the main characters. Chen, peiling and the chickenfried christmas, qing dynasty, redology, the dream of the red chamber. Apr 09, 20 i have never read dream of the red chamber but decided to pick up this novel as a condensed version of the aforementioned. Pauline chens boldly imagined retelling of the dream of the red chamber is a literary wonder. At 2,500 pages long, with over 400 characters, dream of the red chamber is one of the socalled four great classical novels.
Jul 08, 2012 the red chamber, the first novel by pauline chen, is inspired by a massive 18thcentury novel more admired than read. Its all about marriage in chens adult debut, an epic set within the bubble of the womens community at rongguo mansion, lavish home to the jia family, where barren wives, unpleasant wives and wrongly betrothed daughters mingle with servants and slaves. Michael levycourtesy of knopf but grandparents can be. Julie otsuka, author of the buddha in the attic in this lyrical reimagining of the chinese classic dream of the red chamber, set. Pauline chen an epic reimagining of the chinese classic dream of the red chamber by cao xueqin, is set against a backdrop of eighteenthcentury beijing and follows the intersecting lives of three women. A story i know nothing about, except its name and fame. Now, chineseamerican author pauline chen has set herself the daunting task of unravelling its complex plots to introduce a shorter version thats more palatable for western readers. When orphaned daiyu leaves her home in the provinces to take shelter with her cousins in the capital, she is drawn.
A surgeons reflections on mortality, gao e, gladys yang, gone with the wind, john minford tool, margaret mitchell, pauline chen, pauline w. Chen, whos written the latest retelling of the tale of jia. An epic yet intimate account of palace intrigue and political tumult that dazzles on every page. A compelling family saga inspired by the celebrated chinese classical epic the dream of the red chamber in the tradition of snow flower and the secret fan. Julie otsuka, author of the buddha in the attic in this lyrical reimagining of the chinese classic dream of the red chamber, set against. This is the single most famous love triangle in chinese literary history.
All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Supplementary reading for the red chamber, including pronunciation of characters names, historical notes, and reading group guide. In red chamber, a love triangle for the ages wbur news. Chen retells and recreates in lush detail the daily life inside the rongguo mansion, where scandalous secrets and lies are hidden behind a grand facade chicago tribune a it will transport you into an altogether new world arthur golden, author of memoirs of a geisha pauline chen raises the bar extraordinarily high. Read the red chamber by pauline chen available from rakuten kobo. The latest retelling of a classic chinese novel called hong lou meng, or for english speakers, dream of the red chamber. Its the single most famous love triangle in chinese literary history, says author pauline a. This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. Author, pauline chen has taken some of the original. After studying classics at harvard and law at yale, she completed a doctorate in chinese literature at princeton university.
Chen, author of the red chamber, studied chinese literature as a doctoral student at princeton university. The red chamber kindle edition by chen, pauline a download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Chens the red chamber is a romantic tragedy loosely based on cao xuequins 18thcentury chinese masterpiece novel, dream of the red chamber. Pauline chen builds the red chamber around memorable. The red chamber is constructed from both scholarly and personal strands chen writes convincingly about infants, and the story itself is a permutation of dream of the red chamber, which chen. The novel is slow going, as the reader is introduced to the many characters and at. Jul 15, 2012 in red chamber, a love triangle for the ages before most chinese readers learned of romeo and juliet, they fell for dream of the red chamber.
The red chamber, the first novel by pauline chen, is inspired by a massive 18thcentury novel more admired than read. It was written sometime in the middle of the 18th century during the qing dynasty. Her dissertation focused on the late tang poets du fu, li he, and li shangyin. The red chamber npr coverage of the red chamber by pauline a. But pauline a chens reimagined version quickly draws me into the lives of the jia family.
Jul 10, 2012 listen to red chamber audiobook by pauline a. The red chamber is constructed from both scholarly and personal strands chen writes convincingly about infants, and the story itself is a permutation of dream. Ya author chen s debut novel for adults is a modern retelling of cao xueqins 18thcentury chinese classic, dream of the red chamber. Pauline chen, in her new adaptation simply called the red chamber, has gone about the monumental task of bringing the work to a wider western audience in the 21st century. Chen brings to life three unforgettable women trapped by class, time and circumstance. Sep 07, 2012 novelist pauline chen wrote her pareddown retelling of dream of the red chamber after struggling to get through the original. When the teenaged pauline chen arrived in harvard yard, her intention was to become a writer. Heartbreaking, exhilarating, and impossible to put down. She has taught chinese language, literature, and film at the university of minnesota and oberlin college. It will transport you into an altogether new world arthur golden, author of memoirs of a geisha pauline chen raises the bar extraordinarily high. The dream of the red chamber is universally acknowledged as one of chinas literary masterworks. Chen is the author of the red chamber and peiling and the chickenfried christmas. A famous chinese story, dream of the red chamber, retold, pauline chen takes the reader into a world unlike any other.
On the death of her mother, lin daiyu, a beautiful young girl, is taken far away to the capital to live with her mother. At 2,500 pages and with a cast of more than 400 characters, cao xueqins. The red chamber, reimagined china real time report wsj. When orphaned daiyu leaves her home in the provinces to take shelter with her cousins in the capital, she is drawn into a world of opulent. The red chamber in the red chamber, a vivid, lively reimagining of the lengthy chinese classic dream of the red chamber, pauline a. In this lyrical reimagining of the chinese classic dream of the red chamber, set against the breathtaking backdrop of eighteenthcentury beijing, the lives of three unforgettable women collide in the inner chambers of the jia mansion. Ya author chens debut novel for adults is a modern retelling of cao xueqins 18thcentury chinese classic, dream of the red chamber. Chen draws the reader deep into the secret, exquisite world of the womens quarters of an aristocratic household, where the burnish of wealth and refinement mask a harsher truth. The red chamber hardcover tattered cover book store.
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