Stark, deeply moving, acutely insightful, and often strikingly humorous, a good fall reminds us once again of the storytelling prowess of this superb writer. Ha jin was born in liaoning, china, in 1956, and moved to america in 1984. On the table between them were two bottles of soda spewing out brown foam, and two paper boxes of rice and sauteed cucumber and pork. The stories are set along the chinasoviet border in the 1970s after the nations. 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. Winner of the penhemingway award the place is the chilly border between russia and china. In addition to the national book award, ha jin received the penhemingway award for his first collection of short stories, ocean of words 1996, and the flannery oconnor prize for his second, under the red flag 1997.
Words containing jin, words that contain jin, words including jin, words with jin in them. Born in 1956, jin is a chineseamerican poet and short story writer. Provide a 90 word summary for the story saboteur by ha jin. The processes that ha jin is concerned to describesurvival and adjustment in an alien land, the firmingup of a literary vocation, the emergence of marital and family harmony after the shocks. Upon release, he taught himself english working the night shift as a railroad telegrapher, and received his ba and ma from chinese universities. 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. Oct 31, 20 the penhemingway award 1997 for ocean of words. Mar 21, 2007 ha jin left his native china in 1985, and is the author of awardwinning books, including the internationally bestselling novel waiting, which won the penfaulkner award and the national book.
Dec 10, 2015 in ocean of words, the chinese writer ha jin explores the predicament of these simple, barely literate men with breathtaking concision and humanity. He has received the national book award, two penfaulkner awards, the pen. Jin joined the peoples liberation army during the cultural revolution when he was years old. Ha jin in conversation on the bbc world service discussion programme the forum ha jins cultural revolution new york times magazine profile 2000. The stories are set along the chinasoviet border in the 1970s after the nations split political ties. Ha jin, who was raised in china and emigrated to the united states after the tiananmen square massacre in 1989, writes about loss and moral deterioration with the keen sense of a survivor. Army stories 1996 and under the red flag 1997, prizewinning collections of short stories set in china. Ha jin left his native china in 1985, and is the author of awardwinning books, including the internationally bestselling novel waiting, which won the penfaulkner award and the national book. Xuefei jin, who writes under the pseudonym ha jin, was born in 1956 in liaoning province in northern china. Watch ha jin talk about the challenges of writing a free life on buniverse.
From amorous telegraphers to a pugnacious militiaman, from an inscrutable russian prisoner to an effeminate but enthusiastic recruit, ha jins characters possess a depth and liveliness that. Despite the distance of an ocean and a continent, he could feel chinas pulse, ha. Jin has also published the novels in the pond 1998. He is the author of eight novels, four story collections, three volumes of poetry, and a book of essays. He has produced four story collections ocean of words, under the red flag,a. The time is the early 1970s when the two giants were poised on the brink of war. Download pdf an ocean of words free online new books. Chinese short stories, short story collections, books.
For two years he attended a military boarding school, but his primary education was cut short by. Ha jin article about ha jin by the free dictionary. Saboteur by ha jin takes place immediately following the. A list of words that contain jin, and words with jin in them. Since that first book, jin has produced numerous other works, including the poetry volumes facing shadows 1996 and wreckage 2001, and the shortstory collections ocean of words. The flannery oconnor award for short fiction 1996 for under the red flag. Apr 07, 2020 in addition to the national book award, ha jin received the penhemingway award for his first collection of short stories, ocean of words 1996, and the flannery oconnor prize for his second, under the red flag 1997. In 2000, ha jin became the first writer ever to win both the national book award and the pen faulkner award, for his novel waiting. About this guide the questions, discussion topics, and author biography that follow are intended to enhance your groups reading of ha jins first novel, in the pond, and two of his short fiction collections, ocean of words and the bridegroom. The challenge of collecting an even dozen pieces, ranging from vignettes, finger. In 1969, at only 14 years of age, ha jin joined the peoples liberation army based at the northeastern border between china and. Army stories 1996 and under the red flag 1997 won praise from critics and two. The chicago tribune ha jin infuses his tales with unforgettable characters who are grappling with questions of honor and shame, passion vs. Ha jins novel waiting was the winner of the 1999 winner of the national book award for fiction.
The collection won the 1997 penhemingway award for best first work of fiction. His books include waiting, winner of the penfaulkner award and the national book award. This page brings back any words that contain the word or letter you enter from a large scrabble dictionary. Discussion questions about in the pond discussion questions about ocean of words discussion questions about the bridegroom comparing the. Ocean of words is a triumphant volume, poignant, hilarious, and harrowing. His dissertation was on modernist poets such as pound, eliot, auden, and yeats because, as he told dave weich of. Ha jin has published volumes of poetry, collections of short stories, and novels.
In ocean of words, the chinese writer ha jin explores the predicament of these simple, barely literate men with breathtaking concision and humanity. 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. From amorous telegraphers to a pugnacious militiaman, from an inscrutable russian prisoner to an effeminate but enthusiastic recruit, ha jins characters possess. The first few short ones were okay at best, but ha jins longer stories really make it worth reading.
For two years he attended a military boarding school, but his primary education was cut short by the onset in 1966 of mao zedongs cultural revolution, which closed schools nationwide so. He is the author of the internationally bestselling novel waiting, which won the penfaulkner award and the national book award, and war trash, which won the penfaulkner award for fiction, and was a finalist for the pulitzer prize and the kiriyama pacific rim book prize. Chiu and his bride were having lunch in the square before muji train station. Jin was raised in china during the cultural revolution and immigrated to the united states in 1985.
Ha jin in conversation on the bbc world service discussion programme. Saboteur by ha jin takes place immediately following the end of the chinese cultural revolution. In 2005 he was elected a fellow of the american academy of arts and sciences. Ha jin simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Ha jin thuy pham recommendation antagonist synopsis ocean of words was selected for the text book because it shows the importance of learning. Ha jin has 37 books on goodreads with 80374 ratings. The son of an officer in the peoples liberation army, he was born in 1956 in the northeastern chinese city of jinzhou.
The first few short ones were okay at best, but ha jin s longer stories really make it worth reading. His notable novels included waiting 2000 and war trash 2004. From amorous telegraphers to a pugnacious militiaman, from an inscrutable russian prisoner to an effeminate but enthusiastic recruit, ha jin s characters possess a depth and liveliness that suggest. The poems on this page were written in english by a young chinese poet and scholar, xuefei jin, whose pen name is ha jin. Ocean of words is made up of linked stories, its protagonists members of the chinese military, a military that jin was a part of for six years before. Emotions and dilemmas are universal ocean of words. Jins short stories share something of the spare, open quality of his home. Georgia author of the year award for short stories 1997. That year, in the kindergarten was included in his collection of stories called the bridegroom. A good fall isbn 9780307473943 pdf epub ha jin ebook. Ha jin left his native china in 1985 to attend brandeis university.
Ha jin is a master satirist, not so much of chinese politics as of the human psyche when its being twisted and pummeled by some higher authority. Under the red flag, which won the flannery oconnor award for short fiction. The twelve stories in under the red flag take place during chinas cultural revolution. Ocean of words is a short story collection by ha jin. Lets eat, he said to her, and broke the connected ends of the chopsticks. This quietly poignant novel of love and repression in communist china begins in 1966 when lin kong, an army doctor, falls in love with the young nurse manna wu during a forced military march. Liaoning province, china from the age of 14 until he was 20, jin served in the peoples liberation army in china. Therefore,students should read this story because it. The stories are set along the chinasoviet border in the 1970s after the nations split political ties the collection won the 1997 penhemingway award for best first work of fiction.
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. Jin began to educate himself in chinese literature and high school curriculum at sixteen. We also have lists of words that end with jin, and words that start with jin. Nov 28, 2011 in addition to the national book award, ha jin received the penhemingway award for his first collection of short stories, ocean of words 1996, and the flannery oconnor prize for his second, under the red flag 1997. He was born in liaoling province of manchuria in 1956, entered the chinese peoples liberation army at fourteen, served somewhat more than five years as a soldier his father was at the time a soldier and then three years as a telegraphist for the harbin. All of the 12 short stories, none of which are longer than 45 pages and most are 15 pages, center around army units on the chineserussian border in the 1970s, likely in the northeast of china.
Jin was raised in china during the cultural revolution and. From amorous telegraphers to a pugnacious militiaman, from an inscrutable russian prisoner to an effeminate but enthusiastic recruit, ha jins characters possess a depth and liveliness that suggest. 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. His first novel, waiting 1999, a tale of contemporary china, brought him widespread recognition and the national book and penfaulkner awards. Choosing english as his literary language set jin on a deliberate journey away from china, and yet jin remained attached to the china of his memories by recreating his birth country in his earlier titles, including his first three short story collections, ocean of words 1996, under the red flag 1997, and the bridegroom 2000, and his three. These twinned dimensions of post1949 chinaits relentless promotion of maoism and attendant excoriation of the westcompose part of the rich historical backdrop of ha jins new novel, a map of betrayal, which at bottom explores how difficult it is to exist between the mandates of the two antagonistic systems. 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. Army stories 1996, under the red flag 1997, the bridegroom 2001, and a good fall 2009. Winner of the penhemingway awardthe place is the chilly border betw. Discussion questions about in the pond discussion questions about ocean of words discussion questions about the bridegroom. His fiction and his poetry offer quiet, understated insights into what it is like to live in contemporary china, in. Browse our scrabble word finder, words with friends cheat dictionary, and.
Ocean of words is set on the chineserussian border in the early 70s. The challenge of collecting an even dozen pieces, ranging from. So many students believe that school has no purpose. He was born in liaoling province of manchuria in 1956, entered the chinese peoples liberation army at fourteen, served somewhat more than five years as a soldier his father was at the time a soldier and then three years as a telegraphist for the harbin railroad company.
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