the tinyblog

My mom bought a lot of books while she was here in Seattle. I was taking a bath and really wanted something to read, so I picked up a book she had bought at a bookstore in Chinatown. It was Waiting, by Ha Jin.

Ha Jin came to the US to study for a few years, and then Tiananmen Square went down and he decided not to go back to China. He couldn't get a teaching job at the time in the States, and decided to start writing in English.

When I was done reading Waiting, I picked up The Bridegroom, a book of short stories, and now I'm almost finished with Ocean of Words. Damn near all of them have won awards; Waiting won the National Book Award. I think he deserves them all.

For some reason these stories have sort of infected me. This guy's wit and spare, sharp little english seem like nothing else I've ever read. It's like being able to hear about what the Cultural Revolution was like, without having to learn Chinese. I doubt there's anything like it. The short stories are particularly amazing.

For the first time in a long time, I want to write him a letter or communicate with him somehow. I'm just not sure exactly what I would say. Does anyone else get the urge to do this? I'm actually kind of tempted since it's not like he's a super celebrity or something. Unlike a fan letter to Britney Spears, it might actually get read.

Anyway, just now I finally looked online to see what's up...here's an interview with powells.com, an interview with the Yale Review of Books, a chapter from his new novel and the link to his books.