Sui Sin Far

mayo 30th, 2012 · No hay Comentarios

Students of Modern Languages 2 we had to make some presentations on each character who appear in the book of Aitor Ibarrola “Entre dos mundos”. My group had to make the work about Sui Sin Far, Canadian short story writer, journalist, and essayist. The work was difficult because there is not a lot of information about this important woman in the history of China. But it has been very interesting to know about her and learn about the things that I did.

To learn about Sui Sin Far:

Sui Sin Far (the pseudonym of Edith Maude Eaton) is regarded as the first fiction writer of Asian descent to achieve professional publication in the Americas. The child of a British father and part-Chinese mother, Far’s stories focus on the experiences of Chinese immigrants to the United States and Canada. In her short stories, Far countered popular stereotypes of Chinese immigrants and spoke against racial prejudice. She frequently focused on the unique position of Eurasians like herself, of mixed Western and Asian descent, who are often excluded from both Anglo and Asian communities. Far published numerous short stories, sketches, essays, and articles in popular magazines throughout the United States. Mrs. Spring Fragrance (1912), a collection of short stories, was Far’s only volume of fiction to be published during her lifetime. Although somewhat recognized as a noteworthy writer, Far’s work was largely ignored by critics from the time of her death until the 1980s, when the burgeoning field of Asian American studies led to a resurgence of critical interest in her work. Her work has been made available to a modern readership with the 1995 publication of Mrs. Spring Fragrance and Other Writings, a compilation of Far’s stories, sketches, and essays.

Apart from learning about Sui Sin Far, we aldo know her works. The most important book she wrote is called Mrs. Spring Fragance, here goes a little pharagraph which talks about it:

When Mrs. Spring Fragrance first arrived in Seattle, she was unacquainted with even one word of the American language. Five years later her husband, speaking of her, said: “There are no more American words for her learning.” And everyone who knew Mrs. Spring Fragrance agreed with Mr. Spring Fragrance. Mr. Spring Fragrance, whose business name was Sing Yook, was a young curio merchant. Though conservatively Chinese in many respects, he was at the same time what is called by the Westerners, “Americanized.” Mrs. Spring Fragrance was even more “Americanized.”

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