Qiu Xiaolong
Encyclopedia
Qiu Xiaolong is an English language
poet
, literary translator
, crime novelist, critic
, and academic, currently living in St. Louis, Missouri
, with his wife Wang Lijun and daughter Julia Qiu. He originally visited the United States
in 1988 to write a book about T. S. Eliot
, but following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
a newspaper reported on his previous fundraising efforts for Chinese students, and he was forced to remain in America to avoid persecution by the Communist Party of China
.
He has published six crime-thriller/mystery novels set in Shanghai in the 1990s at the point when the People's Republic of China is making momentous changes. These include Death of a Red Heroine
, which won the Anthony Award
for best first novel in 2001, and A Loyal Character Dancer
. All books feature Chief Inspector Chen Cao, a poetry-quoting cop with integrity. But the main concern in the books is modern China itself. Each book features quotes from ancient and modern poets, Confucius, insights into Chinese cuisine
, architecture, history, politics, herbology and philosophy as well as criminal procedure.
He does not allow his books to be published in China (as of 2011), but they are published in Hong Kong.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, literary translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
, crime novelist, critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
, and academic, currently living in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, with his wife Wang Lijun and daughter Julia Qiu. He originally visited the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1988 to write a book about T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
, but following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
a newspaper reported on his previous fundraising efforts for Chinese students, and he was forced to remain in America to avoid persecution by the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
.
He has published six crime-thriller/mystery novels set in Shanghai in the 1990s at the point when the People's Republic of China is making momentous changes. These include Death of a Red Heroine
Death of a Red Heroine
Death of a Red Heroine is a mystery novel written by Qiu Xiaolong and published in English in the year 2000.-Plot summary:One afternoon, the naked body of a young woman is found wrapped in a black trash bag in an obscure canal in Shanghai by two friends...
, which won the Anthony Award
Anthony Award
The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher , one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America....
for best first novel in 2001, and A Loyal Character Dancer
A Loyal Character Dancer
A Loyal Character Dancer is a book by Qiu Xiaolong. The book features Chief Inspector Chen Cao and his friend/sidekick Detective Yu. It was published in 2002.-Plot summary:...
. All books feature Chief Inspector Chen Cao, a poetry-quoting cop with integrity. But the main concern in the books is modern China itself. Each book features quotes from ancient and modern poets, Confucius, insights into Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
, architecture, history, politics, herbology and philosophy as well as criminal procedure.
He does not allow his books to be published in China (as of 2011), but they are published in Hong Kong.
Stay in Missouri
He was a guest lecturer at a university in Missouri in 1989. Voice of America made a news report about him. He had prepared spring rolls to raise money for Chinese students (and thereby embarrassed China's Government, according to Aftenposten).Poetry translations
- Treasury of Chinese Love Poems (2003)
- Evoking T'ang (2007)