Lisa See | |
|---|---|
 Lisa See inMadrid (2012), by Asís G. Ayerbe | |
| Born | (1955-02-18)18 February 1955 (age 70) Paris, France |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse | Richard Kendall |
| Children | Alexander and Christopher |
Lisa See (born 18 February 1955) is an American writer and novelist. Her books includeOn Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995), a detailed account of See's family history, and the novelsFlower Net (1997),The Interior (1999),Dragon Bones (2003),Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005),Peony in Love (2007) andShanghai Girls (2009), which made it to the 2010 New York Times bestseller list. BothShanghai Girls andSnow Flower and the Secret Fan received honorable mentions from theAsian/Pacific American Awards for Literature.
See's novel,The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane (2017), is a story about circumstances, culture, and distance among theAkha people ofXishuangbanna, China.[1] Her 2019 novel,The Island of Sea Women (2019), is a story about female friendship and family secrets on Jeju Island before, during, and in the aftermath of the Korean War.[2]
Flower Net,The Interior, andDragon Bones make up the Red Princess mystery series. Meanwhile,Snow Flower and the Secret Fan andPeony in Love focus on the lives of Chinese women in the 19th and 17th centuries respectively.Shanghai Girls (2009) chronicles the lives of two sisters who come to Los Angeles in arranged marriages and face, among other things, the pressures put on Chinese-Americans during the anti-Communist mania of the 1950s.[3] See completed a sequel titledDreams of Joy, released in May 2011.[4]China Dolls (June 2014) deals with Chinese American nightclub performers of the 1930s and 1940s.
Writing under the pen name Monica Highland, See, her motherCarolyn See, andJohn Espey,[5] published two novels:Lotus Land (1983),110 Shanghai Road (1986), andGreetings from Southern California (1988), a collection of early 20th Century postcards and commentary on the history they represent. She has a personal essay ("The Funeral Banquet") included in the anthologyHalf and Half.[6]
See has donated her personal papers (1973–2001) toUCLA.[7] During the 2012 Golden Dragon Chinese New Year Parade inLos Angeles Chinatown, See served as the Grand Marshal.
Her latest novel,Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, was published in June 2023 and became a Goodreads nominee for Best Historical Fiction that year.[8] Set in 15th-century China under the Ming Dynasty, the novel is inspired by the true story of a woman physician who struggled to break free from traditions imposed by her arranged marriage in order to help women with their illnesses.
On February 18, 1955, See was born in Paris, France. See's mother wasCarolyn See, an American student who later became an English professor, writer, and novelist. See's father was Richard See, an American student who later became an anthropologist.
See's parents were later divorced, and her mother married Tom Sturak. See has a half-sister, Clara Sturak. See has spent many years inLos Angeles, California, especially in and around theLos Angeles Chinatown.[9][10][11][12][13]
Her paternal great-grandfather Fong See (鄺泗) was Chinese, which has had a great impact on her life and work. She has written for and led many cultural events emphasizing the importance of Los Angeles and Chinatown.[14]
See graduated with a B.A. fromLoyola Marymount University in 1979.[15]
See was the West Coast correspondent forPublishers Weekly (1983–1996).[16] She has written articles forVogue,Self, andMore; has written thelibretto for the opera based onOn Gold Mountain,[17] and has helped develop the Family Discovery Gallery for the Autry Museum, which depicts 1930s Los Angeles from the perspective of her father as a seven-year-old boy. Her exhibition,On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience was featured in the Autry Museum of Western Heritage,[18] and theSmithsonian.[19] See is also a public speaker.
Among her awards and recognitions are theOrganization of Chinese Americans Women's 2001 award as National Woman of the Year and the 2003 History Makers Award presented by theChinese American Museum. See serves as a Los Angeles City Commissioner.[24] Her bookFlower Net was nominated for the 1998 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.[25]
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)
