Jean Kwok
Jean Kwok | |
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Alex Award Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award | |
Website | |
www |
Jean Kwok is the award-winning,
Biography
When Kwok was five years old, her family emigrated to Brooklyn, New York from Hong Kong. The apartment that she, her parents and siblings lived in was infested with roaches and rats and they did not have any central heating. She worked in a Chinatown clothing factory for much of her childhood.[3]
After elementary school, Kwok was accepted to Hunter College High School, a public secondary school for intellectually gifted students. Upon graduation from high school, she was granted early admission to Harvard University. Originally interested in science, in part to escape a life toiling in a factory, she realized when she was at Harvard that she could follow her dream instead. This realization prompted her to change her concentration to English and American Literature.[4] She received her BA in English with honors, all while working up to four jobs at a time. Kwok later received her MFA in Fiction from Columbia University.
After that, she moved to the Netherlands and worked for Leiden University and the Delft University of Technology, teaching English and working as a Dutch-English translator. Kwok now writes full-time and divides her time between the Netherlands and New York City.[5]
Career
Kwok is a
Kwok is trilingual, speaking Dutch, Chinese, and English fluently, as evidenced by the VPRO documentary filmed about her.[7] She also studied Latin for 7 years.[8] She is a member of the Curatorial Board of Ragdale Foundation.[9]
Novels
Girl in Translation
Kwok's debut novel Girl in Translation was published by
Author
Mambo in Chinatown
Kwok's immigrant background plus her experience working as a professional ballroom dancer in between her degrees at Harvard and Columbia helped her to write her second novel about a young woman torn between her family duties in working class Chinatown and her escape into the world of ballroom dancing.[16]
Kwok's second novel Mambo in Chinatown was also published by Riverhead Books in the United States on June 24, 2014. It was one of the New and Noteworthy Books listed by USA Today in June 2014[17] and was selected for Penguin Stacks and Best Books of 2014 by Real Simple and Woman's Day.[18][19] The Chicago Tribune wrote, "rarely has [this story] been told with such grace, lightness and humor as in this delightful novel" while the Boston Herald called it "a great story of cultural conflict and reaching for your dreams."[20][21]
Searching for Sylvie Lee
Kwok's third novel Searching for Sylvie Lee was published on June 4, 2019 by
The
Searching for Sylvie Lee was one of the most-listed books of the summer, hitting many best book and most anticipated lists.
Honors and awards[35]
- Today ShowBook Club Pick, 2019
- Emma Roberts' Belletrist Book Club Pick, 2019
- Best Book of Summer 2019 according to Conde Nast Travelerand more
- Goodreads Choice Awards Semi-Finalist for Mystery & Thriller, 2019
- Hannah Judy Gretz Fellow, Ragdale Foundation, 2015
- Real Simple's Best Books of 2014
- Woman's Day's Best Books of 2014
- American Library Association Outstanding Book for the College Bound, 2014
- Sunday Times Short Story Award shortlist, 2012
- Hunter College High School Distinguished Graduate Award, 2012
- John Gardner Fiction Book Award finalist, 2011
- Orange New Writers Book, 2011
- American Library Association Alex Award, 2011
- Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award, 2010
- National Blue Ribbon Book, 2010
- Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick, 2010
- Indie Next Pick, 2010
- Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee for Fiction, 2010
- Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee for Debut Author, 2010
- Quality Paperback Book ClubNew Voices Award nominee, 2010
- Best Cultural Book, Book BloggersAppreciation Week, 2010
- Bread Loaf Writers' Conference Scholarship
- Columbia University Graduate Writing Division Fellowships
- Harvard Club of New York City Scholar
- John Harvard Scholarship for Academic Achievement of the Highest Distinction
- Elizabeth Cary AgassizScholarship for Academic Achievement of the Highest Distinction
Bibliography
Novels
- Girl in Translation (2010)
- Mambo in Chinatown (2014)
- Searching for Sylvie Lee (2019)
- The Leftover Woman (2023)
Short stories
- "The Jade Empress" (published in Marple, HarperCollins, 2022)
- "Disguises" (published in Story, Holt Elements of Fiction and The NuyorAsian Anthology)
- "And Fire Begets Earth" (published in Story)
- "Where the Gods Fly" (shortlisted for the international Sunday Times Short Story Award)
Poetry
- "Flawed Words and Stubborn Sounds" (2000)
- "A Translation of Schrijvende Vrouw" (2000)
Essays
Anthologies/Textbooks
- Elements of Literature (2007)
- The NuyorAsian Anthology (1999)
See also
- List of Asian American writers
References
- ^ Lida, Gretchen (December 18, 2018). "3 Books I Can't Wait For in 2019". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Jenna Bush Hager announces June book club pick". June 8, 2019.
- Gale Cengage, 2011.
- ^ "Jean Kwok" New York, NY: Penguin Speakers Bureau. Last accessed May 1, 2011.
- ^ "Author", Jean Kwok Official Website. Last accessed March 23, 2023.
- ^ "About".
- ^ "Jean Kwok documentary". YouTube.
- ^ "Jean Kwok and the Girl in Translation" by Amanda Cardo, Sampsonia Way, April 27, 2011.
- ^ "Curatorial Board" Last accessed May 1, 2018.
- ^ "Interview: Jean Kwok and Girl in Translation (Part Two) | Sampsonia Way Magazine". www.sampsoniaway.org. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
- ^ "Girl in Translation", Princeton Book Review. Last accessed May 1, 2011.
- Seattle Times, May 1, 2010.
- ^ "Reflections on Labor Unions since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire" Archived February 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine by Hannah Lee, Philadelphia Jewish Voice, March 29, 2011.
- ^ "Girl in Translation" Archived October 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Liberty Bay Books. Last accessed May 1, 2011.
- ^ "News & Reviews" Archived October 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Jean Kwok Official Website. Last accessed May 1, 2011.
- ^ "Website For Asian Writers". Website For Asian Writers. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
- ^ "Books: New and noteworthy". USA Today. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ Mambo in Chinatown by Jean Kwok – Penguin Books USA.
- ^ "Real Simple Readers Review the Best Books of 2014". Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ Tribune, Chicago (December 24, 2014). "2014 books that flew under radar". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ "Dreams take flight in Jean Kwok's 'Chinatown'". www.bostonherald.com. June 25, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ^ "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - June 23, 2019 - the New York Times". The New York Times.
- ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction - Best Sellers - Books - June 23, 2019 - the New York Times". The New York Times.
- ^ "Jean Kwok | Official Author Website". Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- ^ "Jenna Bush Hager announces June book club pick". June 8, 2019.
- ^ "O, the Oprah Magazine's Summer 2019 Reading List". July 6, 2019.
- ^ "Jean Kwok on how 'Searching for Sylvie Lee' became this summer's book club sensation". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Egan, Elisabeth (July 10, 2019). "Text on the Beach: Great Summer Reads". The New York Times.
- ^ "4 Writers to Watch This Summer". The New York Times. May 21, 2019.
- ^ "Review: Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok". July 7, 2019.
- ]
- ^ "From Near and Far: A PEN Out Loud Reading List". September 18, 2019.
- ^ "A data-driven guide to the best 2019 summer reading". July 8, 2019.
- ^ "Searching for Sylvie Lee".
- ^ "Awards", Jean Kwok Official Website. Last accessed July 31, 2019.
External links
- Jean Kwok's website
- Jean Kwok on The Today Show interviewed by Jenna Bush Hager and Maria Shriver
- Jean Kwok interviewed by Jenna Bush Hager for Instagram
- Profile of Jean Kwok in the New York Times
- TV documentary on Jean Kwok Archived October 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- Jean Kwok – Penguin Speakers Bureau
- Interview and Reading Group Guide – Penguin Books
- Jean Kwok's Debut 'Girl in Translation' Speaks Eloquently – USA Today
- New Releases – New York Times
- Debut Novel is an Immigrant's Tale – Seattle Times
- Girl in Translation – Irish Examiner
- Sampsonia Way Interview