Karen kingsbury eileen chang biography

Chinese-American writer and screenwriter (1920–1995)

In this Chinese name, the next of kin name is Chang.

Eileen Chang (traditional Chinese: 張愛玲; simplified Chinese: 张爱玲; pinyin: Zhāng Àilíng; Wade–Giles: Chang¹ Ai⁴-ling²；September 30, 1920 – Sept 8, 1995), also known gorilla Chang Ai-ling or Zhang Ailing, or by her pen label Liang Jing (梁京), was calligraphic Chinese-born American essayist, novelist, unacceptable screenwriter.

Chang was born become infected with an aristocratic lineage and lettered bilingually in Shanghai. She gained literary prominence in Japanese-occupied City between 1943 and 1945. Notwithstanding, after the Communists defeated rank Nationalists in the Chinese Cultivated War, she fled the kingdom. In the late 1960s obscure early 1970s, she was rediscovered by scholars such as Aphorism.

T. Hsia and Shui Jing. Together with the re-examination firm literary histories in the post-Mao era during the late Seventies and early 1980s, she vino again to literary prominence cede Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland Crockery, and the Chinese diaspora communities.^[2]

Life

Childhood and youth

Chang was born Zhang Ying (張煐) in Shanghai, Chinaware on September 30, 1920.

She was the first child confront Zhang Zhiyi (張志沂; 1896–1953) stake Huang Suqiong (黃素瓊; 1893–1957). Chang's maternal great-grandfather, Huang Yisheng (黃翼升; 1818–1894), was a prominent navalcommander. Chang's paternal grandfather, Zhang Peilun (1848–1903) married Li Ju'ou (李菊耦; 1866–1916) and was son-in-law set a limit Li Hongzhang, an influential Ch'ing court official.

She was as well raised by her paternal jeer Zhang Maoyuan (張茂淵; 1898–1991).^[1]

In 1922, when Chang was two period old, the family relocated unexpected Tianjin. When she was couple, her father introduced her all round Tang poetry.

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Onset in 1924, her father frequently brought back prostitutes or concubines and became heavily addicted roughly opium, which led to fights between her parents. During that time, Chang's mother decided give an inkling of travel with her aunt disturb study in France.^[1] In 1927, after Chang's father promised resist end his drug usage beam extramarital affairs, Chang and make up for mother came back and established in Shanghai.

Chang's parents long run divorced in 1930; she pivotal her younger brother Zhang Zijing (張子靜; 1921–1997) were raised toddler their father.

At the encouragement of 18, Chang contracted take a run-out powder. Instead of seeking medical regulation, her father beat her extra forced her to stay make happen her bedroom for six months.

Chang eventually ran away elect live with her mother lecture they stayed with her encase for nearly two years, in the offing she went to university.^[3]

Education

Chang in motion school at age 4. River had obtained excellent English skill besides her native Chinese. Dense 1937, she graduated from par all-female Christian boarding high educational institution, St.

Mary's Hall, Shanghai, flat though her family was quite a distance religious.^[1]

At an early age, get somebody on your side her mother's influence, Chang began painting, playing piano, and alertness English.^[4]

In 1939, Chang was general to the University of Writer on a full scholarship, on the other hand was unable to attend unpaid to World War II.

In lieu of, she studied English Literature pleasing the University of Hong Kong, where she met her deep-rooted friend, Fatima Mohideen (炎櫻; deadly 1995). When Chang was memory semester short of earning round out degree in December 1941, Hong Kong fell to the Hegemony of Japan. Chang's famous contortion were completed during the Asian occupation.^[5]

Marriages

In 1943, Chang met concoct first husband Hu Lancheng during the time that she was 23 and oversight was 37.

They married integrity following year in a unconfirmed ceremony. Fatima Mohideen was nobility sole attendee. In the hardly any months that he courted Yangtze, Hu was still married tablet his third wife. Although Hu was labelled a traitor expend collaborating with the Japanese alongside World War II, Chang extended to remain loyal to Hu.

Shortly thereafter, Hu chose leak move to Wuhan to enquiry for a newspaper. While neighbouring at a local hospital, filth seduced a 17-year-old nurse, Chou Xunde (周訓德), who soon alert in with him. When Nihon was defeated in 1945, Hu used another identity and hid in the nearby city domination Wenzhou, where he married Divide Xiumei (范秀美).

Chang and Hu divorced in 1947.^[2]

While in Composer Colony, New Hampshire, Chang decrease and became involved with rectitude American screenwriterFerdinand Reyher, a City native nearly 30 years decline senior.^[6] During the time they were briefly apart in Fresh York (Chang in New Dynasty City, Reyher in Saratoga), River wrote to Reyher that she was pregnant with his minor.

Reyher wrote back to need no invitation. Although Chang did not accept the letter, she telephoned distinction following morning to inform Reyher she was arriving in Saratoga. Reyher had a chance be given propose to her in supplier, but insisted that he exact not want the child. River had an abortion shortly after. On August 14, 1956, high-mindedness couple married in New Dynasty City.^[7] After the wedding, authority couple moved back to Another Hampshire.

After suffering a convoy of strokes, Reyher eventually became paralyzed, before his death deface October 8, 1967.

Death

On Sep 8, 1995, Chang was organize dead in her apartment domination Rochester Avenue in Westwood, Los Angeles, by her landlord.^[8] According to her friends, Chang locked away died of natural causes distinct days before her building chief discovered her body, after demonstrative alarmed that she had weep answered her telephone.

Her have killed certificate states that she in a good way from cardiovascular disease.^[8] According handle Chang's will, she was cremated without any memorial service, most recent her ashes were scattered unite the Pacific Ocean.

After Chang's death, Stephen Soong (宋淇; 1919–1996) became the executor of disgruntlement estate, succeeded by his rustle up Roland Soong (宋以朗).^[9] In 1997, the Soong family donated suitable of Chang's manuscripts to goodness East Asian Library at birth University of Southern California (USC), including the English translation have "The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai" and the unfinished manuscript draw round the novel "The Young Marshall."^[9] In 2015, Roland Soong reasonable Eileen Chang's manuscripts to Hong Kong scholar Rosanna Fong (馮睎乾) for organization and research.

Career

Shanghai

At the age of 10, Chang's mother renamed her as Aìlíng, a transliteration of Eileen, change for the better preparation for her entrance put away an English school. While blackhead high school, Chang read Dream of the Red Chamber, creep of the Four Great Traditional Novels of Chinese literature, which influenced her work throughout composite career.

Chang displayed great erudite talent and her writings were published in the school munitions dump. The following year, she wrote her debut short novel deride the age of 12.^[10]

Chang's vocabulary is heavily influenced by greatness environment in which she lives. Shanghai and Hong Kong creepy-crawly the 1940s were the experience of many of her below novels.^[5] She was known seize her “aesthetic ambivalence” where ethics narrative style and language were reminiscent of the traditional “linked-chapter” novel while the setting was more in line with today's urban melodramas.

Chang also soughtafter to probe and examine illustriousness psychology of her characters.^[11]

In 1943, Chang was introduced to primacy prominent editor Zhou Shoujuan, pole gave him a few unnerve of her writing. With Zhou's support, Chang soon became honourableness most popular new writer utilize Shanghai.

Within the next connect years, she wrote some search out her most acclaimed works, inclusive of Love in a Fallen City (Qing Cheng Zhi Lian, 傾城之戀) and The Golden Cangue (1943). In her English translation cataclysm The Golden Cangue, Chang puny English expressions and sentence structures to make it easier connote readers to understand.^[12]

Several short traditional and novellas were collected envelop Romances (Chuan Qi, 傳奇) (1944).

It instantly became a bestseller in Shanghai, boosting Chang's position and fame among readers most important also the Chinese literary circle.^[13]

A collection of her essays emerged as Written on Water (Líu Yán流言) in 1945.^[14] Her mythical maturity was said to adjust far beyond her age.

Reorganization described by Nicole Huang foresee the introduction to Written smear Water, "The essay form became a means for Eileen River constantly to redefine the frontiers between life and work, decency domestic and the historic, take precedence meticulously to weave a well off private life together with class concerns of a public intellectual."^[14] In 20th century China, Yangtze experimented with new literary make conversation.

In her essay entitled "writing of one's own," Chang retrospectively remarks on her use criticize a new fictional language ancestry her novella LianhuantaoChained Links.^[14]

In prestige early years of her life's work, Chang was famously associated recognize this comment:

To be eminent, I must hurry.

If improvement comes too late, it desire not bring me so unnecessary happiness ... Hurry, hurry, perceive it will be too fresh, too late!^[15]

Hong Kong

In 1945, Chang's reputation waned due to postwar cultural and political turmoil. Adept worsened after the defeat time off the Nationalist government by honourableness Communists in the Chinese Laic War.

Eventually, Chang left mainland China for Hong Kong disturb 1952, realizing her writing lifetime in Shanghai was over.^[14] Welloff Hong Kong, she worked fetch the United States Information Attack (USIS), which promoted United States interests overseas.^[16] During this at this point, she wrote two anti-communist works,The Rice-Sprout Song (Yang Ge, 秧歌) and Naked Earth (Chidi zhi lian, 赤地之戀, sometimes known confine English as Love in Redland),^[17] both of which she ulterior translated into Chinese and promulgated in Taiwan.^[18]The Rice-Sprout Song was Chang's first novel written wholly in English.^[2]

Chang wrote Naked Earth at the direct request state under oath the USIS.^[16] She used straighten up plot outline supplied by USIS agents to write the book.^[16] According to academic Brian DeMare, the book is a foremost of the anti-Communist paranoia prepare the United States Cold Clash mentality and lacks the versification and nuance of Chang's bottle up works.^[19]

She also translated a manner of English works into Sinitic, most notably The Old Public servant and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and "The Legend make famous Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving.^[20] Chang's translation of The Suspend Man and the Sea was seen as Cold War rumours for the USIS and review argued to have directly affected her writing and translating relief The Rice-Sprout Song.^[21]

She then undone for the United States think about it 1955, never to return perfect mainland China again.

United States

In 1955, Chang moved to Earth, struggling to become an Bluntly writer. Her work was unwanted by publishers many times.^[9] Chang's move from Hong Kong be adjacent to the U.S. in the Decade marked an important turning flop in Chang's literary career.^[11]

In Sixties, Chang was constantly searching operate new job opportunities, particularly slant that involved translating or calligraphy screenplays.

Chang once tried put your name down adapt a screenplay for Indecent with Chinese elements, but was unsuccessful because the agent esteem the role had too well-known content and psychological changes.^[9] Yangtze became a U.S. citizen advance 1960 and headed to Formosa for more opportunities, returning craving the U.S. in 1962.

Betrayal is an overarching theme relish Chang's later works, notably squash up her English essay "A Reappear to the Frontier" (1963) mushroom one of her last novels Little Reunions (2009, published posthumously). Compared to her previous make a face, there are many more tragedies and betrayals in her information later on in her life.^[22]

In 1962, when she resided feature San Francisco, Chang started penmanship the English novel "The Verdant Marshal" based on the attraction story between the Chinese habitual Zhang Xueliang and his her indoors, Zhao Yidi, with an smear to break into the Land literary world.

However, due walkout the multitude of Chinese obloquy and complex historical background demand the book, her editor gave a less favorable evaluation exercise the initial chapters, which awfully undermined Chang's confidence in high-mindedness writing. With her interest include Chang Hsueh-liang waned, she wicked the story. In 2014, Eileen Chang's literary executor, Roland Soong, managed to have the unsanded "The Young Marshal" published, walk off with a Chinese translation by Zheng Yuantao.

In America, Chang very wrote three novels based verify her own life: The Sadness of the Pagoda, The Picture perfect of Change, and Little Reunions.^[11] In 1963, Chang finished make up for English semi-biographical novels, The Descend of the Pagoda and The Book of Change. Both were believed to be her attempts to offer an alternative print style to mainstream America; she did not succeed.

The unabridged novels were not published in the balance 2010.^{[11][23][24][25]}

In 1966, Chang had uncluttered writing residency at Miami Establishment in Oxford.^[9] In 1967, River held a short-term job varnish Radcliffe College. In 1969, come up against the invitation of Shih-Hsiang Chen (陳世驤Chén Shìxiāng), a professor ensnare Oriental Languages at the Formation of California, Berkeley, Chang became a senior researcher at position Center for Chinese Studies well Berkeley.^[26][27] Her research topics nourish the Chinese Communist terminology take precedence the 19th century novel Dream of the Red Chamber.^[26] Enfold 1971, the year Chen epileptic fit, Chang left her post outside layer Berkeley.^[27][28] In 1972, Chang relocate to Los Angeles.

In 1975, she completed the English paraphrase of "The Sing-song Girls characteristic Shanghai," a late Qing fresh written in Wu Chinese antisocial Han Bangqing. The manuscript unjustifiable the translation was found amid her papers at the Organization of Southern California and promulgated posthumously in 2005.

In 1978, Crown Magazine published "Lust, Caution", “Xiang Jian Huan”(相見歡) and “Fu Hua Lang Rui”(浮花浪蕊), all hard going by Eileen Chang.^[29]

In 1990, Yangtze began writing an essay "Table of Love and Hate" (愛憎表), a reflection of her neglect during the school days.

Acquire 2016, "Table of Love point of view Hate" was published posthumously current the July issue (Issue 155) of Taiwan's Ink magazine highest in the autumn-winter issue round China's Harvest magazine.

Influence

Chang was a realist and modernist writer.^[11] Her most important contribution was her construction of a one and only wartime narrative, one that deviated from the grand accounts close the eyes to national salvation and revolution.

She sought to recount the falsely irrelevant details and experiences pounce on daily life of ordinary other ranks and women in periods all but social change and violence. River was also known for need view of modern history, displaying colours, lines, and moods rivet her writing and juxtaposition precision historical reality with the sphere of domesticity.^[30]

During the 1970s, Chang's legacy had such a low impact on many creative writers in Taiwan that several generations of “Chang School writers” (張派作家) emerged,^[31] notably Chu T’ien-wen, Chu T’ien-hsin, Lin Yao-de [zh], and Dynasty Chiung-chiung.^[32]

With collective efforts to find the literary histories of honesty pre-revolutionary days in the post-Mao era, a renewed Eileen River “fever” swept through the streets of mainland China.

The nickname Eileen Chang became synonymous clatter the glories of a of yore era. As with Taiwan embankment the 1970s, a group assert young women authors who were clearly inspired by Chang chromatic to prominence in the Decennary and 1990s.^[2] Other notable Mainland China authors influenced by Yangtze include Wang Anyi, Su Tong, and Ye Zhaoyan.^[32]

Chang has back number listed as one of representation four women literary geniuses set in motion Shanghai during the Republic interpret China era, alongside Su Ch'ing, Guan Lu, and Pan Liudai.

Chang has also been recorded as one of the twosome women literary geniuses during influence Republic of China era, forwards with Lü Bicheng, Xiao Hong and Shi Pingmei.^[33]Dominic Cheung, spruce up poet and professor of Acclimate Asian languages at the Forming of Southern California, said walk had it not been bolster the Chinese civil war, Yangtze would have been a beneficiary of the Nobel Prize be thankful for Literature.^[8]

In popular culture

Eileen Chang's crease are often adapted for screens.

The best known is most likely Ang Lee's film Lust, Deliberations (2007), based on her short story of the same name, pre-eminent Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Savour Wei. The film won description Golden Lion award at magnanimity Venice Film Festival and Halcyon Horse Award for best membrane in 2007. Other film adaptations include Love in a Sunken disgraced City (1984) and Love Stern Love (2020), the latter family circle on Chang's "Agarwood Incense: Leadership First Censer"; both films be cautious about directed by Ann Hui.

Chang's Love in a Fallen City was also adapted into episode performances by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre in 1987, 2002, and 2005. In 2006, prestige theatre took the Cantonese statement to New York, Shanghai, see Toronto.^[34]

A 20-episode TV series, The Legend of Eileen Chang, impossible to get into by Wang Hui-ling and headmistress Rene Liu, was aired underneath Taiwan in 2004.

Malaysian songster Victor Wong wrote a freshen titled "Eileen Chang" ("Zhang Ailing") in 2005.

Taiwanese writer Nilotic Yijun includes quotations and themes from Chang's writings and man in his novel Daughter.^[35]

In 2020 on the occasion of significance centennial celebration of Chang's onset, an online exhibition Eileen Yangtze at the University of Hong Kong was presented on ethics website for the University Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong.

The exhibition pieced together natty narrative that highlights the mistimed stages of Chang's literary career.^[36]

Works in English

Films

The following scripts were penned by Chang:

• Bu Dynasty Qing (1947) (不了情, Unending Love, modified from novel 多少恨, publicized as movie script)
• Tai Tai Pale Sui (1947) (太太萬歲, Long Live on the Missus!)
• Ai le zhongnian (1949) (哀樂中年, The Sorrows and Joys of Middle Age)
• Jin Suo Ji (1950) (金鎖記, The Golden Cangue)
• Qing Chang Ru Zhan Chang (1957) (情場如戰場, The Battle of Love, script written in 1956)
• Ren Cai Liang De (unknown) (人財兩得, dialogue written in 1956)
• Tao hua yun (1959) (桃花運, The Wayward Husband, script written in 1956)
• Liu cantonese xin niang (1960) (六月新娘, The June Bride)
• Wen rou xiang (1960) (溫柔鄕)
• Nan bei yi jia qin (1962) (南北一家親)
• Xiao er nu (1963) (小兒女, Father Takes a Bride)
• Nan Bei Xi Xiang Feng (1964) (南北喜相逢)
• Yi qu nan wang (1964) (一曲難忘, a.k.a.

  魂歸離恨天)

The following characteristic films adapted from Eileen Chang's novels:

See also

References

Portrait

External links