Eileen Chang’s The Fall of the Pagoda

It’s rather edifying to see the resurgence in popularity of Eileen Chang (Zhang Ailing) around the world, and especially so in China where so many younger readers seem to be now appreciating her following decades of being effectively verboten. I have to admit the Lust Caution film probably did most of the work, but the number of publishers reissuing her work in recent years and in many different languages also helps. In Taiwan her books are prominently displayed everywhere, are bestsellers and passed avidly around among fans – so too in Hong Kong and Singapore while all the time her reputation is being rebuilt in mainland China itself. Last year Chang’s Little Reunion was a major hit in Chinese speaking countries.

Good then to see that Hong Kong University Press is issuing an English translation of The Fall of the Pagoda, the precursor to Chang’s semi-autobiographical Little Reunion. Book of Change, another precursor will be issued in 2012. It’s  a must read for any Shanghailanders – Fall of the Pagoda is also semi-autobiographical, set in the late 1930s during Shanghai ‘Solitary Island’ phase.

If you’re in Hong Kong there’s an interesting launch event on April 15th with Roland Soong, the executor of Chang’s estate and Perry Lam of Muse magazine – see below.