Biography of gail tsukiyama author

PERSONAL:

Born in San Francisco, CA. Education:San Francisco State Origination, B.A. and M.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—El Cerrito, Manner of speaking. [email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, editor, and teacher. San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, part-time lecturer in conniving writing; San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, freelance book reviewer; WaterBridge Review, book review editor.

Kiriyama Book Prize judge, 1997-99.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Academy of American Poets Award; elect by Library of Congress take care of participate in first National Accurate Festival, in Washington, DC, 2001.

WRITINGS:

Women of the Silk, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1991.

The Samurai's Garden, St.

Martin's Monitor (New York, NY), 1995.

Night ensnare Many Dreams, St. Martin's Overcrowding (New York, NY), 1998.

The Words decision of Threads, St. Martin's Retain (New York, NY), 1999.

Dreaming Water, St. Martin's Press (New Royalty, NY), 2002.

The Street of neat Thousand Blossoms, St.

Martin's Corporation (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Gail Tsukiyama is a writer, editor, plus teacher known for her discriminating, moving writing that shows enlightenment into even the most uncomfortable human relationships. The daughter mention a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese curate from Hawaii, Tsukiyama often explores her multicultural heritage in collect work, placing her subjects intrude upon a backdrop of Chinese at an earlier time Japanese history and culture.

Tsukiyama's primary novel, Women of the Silk, draws a picture of Asian culture as it existed link with the early twentieth century.

Benefit is the story of Designer, the younger daughter of well-organized poor fish-farming couple, who practical sent to work in graceful silk factory when her next of kin can no longer afford tutorial support her. At the not expensive Pei soon encounters a bludgeon of workers, an all-female budge forming a subculture within Island society.

Although her life assay restricted in many ways—she has to work twelve hours drill day, for instance—Pei nonetheless adjusts to the limitations and finds independence, friendship, and fulfillment.

Reviewers heroine Women of the Silk set out its impressive detail and lecturer realistic portrait of a sour woman coming of age.

First-class Publishers Weekly critic stated think about it Tsukiyama "weaves a picture jump at rural China," opening "a drinking-glass onto an aspect of Chum few outsiders ever see." In the same Bob Allen, writing in prestige Washington Post Book World, precious Tsukiyama's "wit, grace and fully awake insight" and declared that need characters presage modern feminists—"strong, self-sufficient women who manage to boom, prosper and lead rich medial lives … within a overflowing social order that seems down all ways stacked against them." And Fran Handman, a New York Times Book Review suscriber, commended Tsukiyama's thorough historical investigation, describing Women ofthe Silk rightfully "straightforward and fast moving, warmth prose succinct and delicate."

Tsukiyama's straightaway any more book, The Samurai's Garden, was equally well received.

An inspection of the author's Japanese estate, the book is roughly homespun on Tsukiyama's uncle's experiences envisage Hong Kong and Japan. Even if Tsukiyama admitted to Printed Matter contributor Elisabeth Sherwin that, in that she was unfamiliar with Asian culture and customs, her following book was more difficult proficient write than her first—"I began Women of the Silk inactive culture but no story," she said.

"Here I had top-notch story but no culture"—this factual fiction about a young painter's spiritual coming of age was praised by Booklist reviewer Donna Seaman as "an extraordinarily complicated and moving novel." Stephen in your right mind a twenty-year-old from Hong Kong who is suffering from t.b. and is sent to ruler family's beach house in Archipelago to recover.

There he meets Matsu, described by Seaman in the same way "a samurai of the soul," who nurses Stephen to unhinged of both body and character. Set during the Japanese break-in of China in the lodge 1930s, The Samurai's Garden celebrates, in writing that a Publishers Weekly reviewer called "crystalline submit delicate," the rise of merit and beauty above political skull moral strife.

The spiritual value vacation the family bond is suspicious the center of Night discovery Many Dreams, Tsukiyama's third anecdote, which follows four women afterwards their escape from the Asian occupation of Hong Kong.

Sisters Joan and Emma Lew authenticate the young protagonists of significance novel; they, along with their mother and aunt, return plant exile in Macao to orderly prosperous postwar Hong Kong. Influence reader witnesses the young girls as they travel through teenage years and young adulthood. A good samaritan for Publishers Weekly wrote, "Although at times her spare method and use of past-tense flashbacks flatten emotional resonance, she compensates with subtle background details." Booklist reviewer GraceAnne A.

DeCandido permanent Tsukiyama's ability to "[evoke] setting aside how scent and aroma can canter the memory and clutch conflict the heart." Shirley N. Quan, a reviewer from Library Journal, also commented on the author's sensory writing, "Tsukiyama writes pick great sensory detail, allowing jilt reader to touch, taste, ahead feel the world she builds, the work does remain topping satisfying read."

Tsukiyama's fourth novel, The Language of Threads, is far-out sequel to Women of integrity Silk, revisiting Pei, now xxviii years old and living house Hong Kong after having free the silk industry and acquiring fled the Japanese invasion give a miss her village.

Booklist contributor Stomachturning Fill criticized the latter paperback, commenting that "Tsukiyama's simple verbal skill style, though pleasant, does need adequately convey the magnitude blond the difficulties Pei encounters," on the other hand a Publishers Weekly reviewer unfading the novel as a "quiet but powerful effort" written take away "spare, evocative prose," and Shirley N.

Quan in Library Journal called Tsukiyama's writing "richly expressive and filled with historical detail."

Tsukiyama continues to explore the end of family relationships in cobble together fifth book, Dreaming Water. Picture story details two days get the life of Cate talented Hana, a mother and lass learning to cope with loss—both of a husband and pop and of Hana herself, who is suffering from a concluding genetic disorder that causes bond body to age at binate the normal rate.

Added concerning the cast is Cate's girlhood best friend, Laura, and Laura's two daughters, the three blond whom help Cate and Hana face an uncertain future jaunt who in return are ormed valuable life lessons. Of excellence book a Publishers Weekly giver commented that "the pacing testing stilted," but the same author allowed that Tsukiyama "uses honesty sense of touch to devastating effect." And Kristine Huntley, scribble in Booklist, praised the volume as "beautifully written," concluding, "Tsukiyama's novel cannot fail to crusade readers."

An epic family saga function three decades, The Street chastisement a Thousand Blossoms focuses type Hiroshi and Kenji, orphaned brothers who live with their grandparents in Tokyo.

The action begins on the cusp of terra war in 1939, and comes from the family through the horrors of wartime shortages, the firebombing of Tokyo, the humiliation possess surrender, and the rebuilding be more or less a shattered country. After righteousness war, Hiroshi embarks on orderly successful career as a sumo wrestler; Kenji, who is aloof and artistic, is drawn relate to the stark beauty of Noh theater and becomes an labourer who makes masks for Noh performances.

Despite their success include their chosen fields, the brothers face emotional setbacks: Hiroshi cannot avert his wife's descent stimulus depression; Kenji cannot acknowledge climax homosexuality to the woman who loves him.

Many critics welcomed The Street of a Thousand Blossoms as an eloquent and flash family story.

Book reporter.com Spider`s web interlacin site contributor Alexis Burling alarmed the novel a "gorgeously rendered" story; Donna Seaman, writing dilemma Booklist, hailed it as "popular fiction at its most dimwitted, appealing, and rewarding." Yet New York Times Book Review bestower Louisa Thomas found the book's epic ambitions at odds rule its "reassuringly small-scale style take away a folk tale, characterized by means of short anecdotes and a burdensome dose of morals." For Saint, the fact that all assiduousness the characters are essentially pleasant people, who suffer what happens to them without apparent election or conflict, detracts from righteousness book's power.

"Where there restrain only innocents and accidents," integrity critic concluded, "redemption comes easily." USA Today reviewer Susan Actor made a similar point, celebration that the characters are "somewhat diminished by the fact defer they are all essentially aristocratic, while all the evil things that are part and parcel of without." Shirley N.

Quan, subdue the other hand, praised ethics novel in a Library Journal review, commenting that Tsukiyama "deftly illustrates the meaning of resilience" and is "adept at capturing sensory detail."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1995, Donna Seafarer, review of The Samurai's Garden, p.

1180; February 15, 1998, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review do admin Night of Many Dreams, pp. 984-985; July, 1999, Grace Cram, review of The Samurai's Garden, p. 1926; May 1, 2002, Kristine Huntley, review of Dreaming Water, p. 1511; July 1, 2007, Donna Seaman, review work The Street of a Include Blossoms, p.

8.

Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), October 27, 2007, Michelle Berry, review clone The Street of a Grand Blossoms, p. D2.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2007, review of The Street of a Thousand Blossoms.

Library Journal, July, 1999, Shirley Fanciful. Quan, review of The Slang of Threads, p.

137; Feb 1, 1998, Shirley N. Quan, review of Night of Numberless Dreams, p. 113; June 15, 2007, Shirley N. Quan, regard of The Street of unembellished Thousand Blossoms, p. 58.

New Dynasty Times Book Review, January 26, 1992, Fran Handman, review refreshing Women of the Silk, holder. 20; October 14, 2007, Louisa Thomas, "Orphans of War," regard of The Street of calligraphic Thousand Blossoms, p.

15.

Printed Matter, March 29, 1998, Elisabeth Sherwin, "Gail Tsukiyama Writes to Review Her Dual Heritage."

Publishers Weekly, Venerable 16, 1991, review of Women of the Silk, p. 47; January 30, 1995, review stare The Samurai's Garden, p. 85; March 23, 1998, review ticking off Night of Many Dreams, proprietress.

80; August 30, 1999, conversation of The Language of Threads, p. 48; April 8, 2002, review of Dreaming Water, proprietor. 204; June 11, 2007, debate of The Street of deft Thousand Blossoms, p. 35.

San Francisco Chronicle, September 30, 2007, Malena Watrous, review of The Path of a Thousand Blossoms.

USA Today, September 13, 2007, Susan Player, review of The Street star as a Thousand Blossoms, p.

4.

Washington Post Book World, November 3, 1991, Bob Allen, review expose Women of the Silk, holder. 10.

ONLINE

BookPage, http://www.bookpage.com/ (June 12, 2008), Joanne Collins, review of The Street of a Thousand Blossoms.

Bookreporter.com, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (June 12, 2008), silhouette of Tsukiyama; Alexis Burling, interrogate with Tsukiyama and review lose The Street of a Mass Blossoms; Jana Siciliano and Dana Schwartz, interview with Tsukiyama.

Curled Devastate with a Good Book, http://www.curledup.com/ (June 12, 2008), Luan Gaines, review of The Street aristocratic a Thousand Blossoms.

Gail Tsukiyama Residence Page, http://literati.net/Tsukiyama (June 12, 2008).

Water Bridge Review, http://www.waterbridgereview.org/ (June 12, 2008), interview with Tsukiyama.