Sour heart, the debut short story collection from writer jenny zhang, provides some answers. Zhang is a powerful fiction writer who offers an intimate look at girlhood. Like i long to come home, but now, i will always come home to my family as a. Sour heart by jenny zhang penguin random house audio.
Oct 12, 2017 sour heart is a collection of short stories that tell the tale of family, of immigrants coming to 1990s america and seeing it for what it is, seeing it for the seediness that lay in the shadows of their newfound allegiance. A bittersweet debut short story collection from the shanghaiborn poet and essayist. Zhangs narrators are young chinese girls navigating home and school as new immigrants in 90s new york. It consists of seven loosely interconnected stories that deal, broadly, with what its like to live. I had admired zhangs writing ever since her scathing takedown of michael derrick hudsons unforgivable act of literary yellowface in 2015, and i was excited because i sensed in sour heart a new frontier for zhang, a victory. Jenny zhang on sour heart, roberto bolano, and the power of. Her stories cut across generations and continents, moving from the fraught halls of a public school in flushing, queens, to the tumultuous streets of shanghai, china.
A young person in a country far, far away has the cojones to immigrate to america, where hard work and. The stories in jenny zhangs powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes disturbing experiences of young chineseamerican. Jenny zhang is the author of my baby first birthday tin house books, 2020, sour heart random house, 2017, and dear jenny, we are all find octopus books, 2012. One focus of her work is on the chinese american immigrant identity and experience in the united states. Jul 31, 2017 the imprints first title, a debut short story collection by poet jenny zhang called sour heart, publishes august 1 and has been heralded as one of the biggest, buzziest books of 2017. May 30, 2018 jenny zhang s astounding short story collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves, within single sentences, from overwhelming beauty to abject pain new yorker the writing is vibrant, the smells of the city vivid. A darkly funny and intimate rendering of girlhood, sour heart examines what it means to belong to a family, to find your home, leave it, reject it, and return again. Each story is woven together with brief past encounters or relationships, giving way to individual journeys. Aug 02, 2017 sour heart by jenny zhang lenny, 320 pp. How jenny zhang discovered her literary fairy godmother in. Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to. Sour heart is a fitting title for jenny zhangs debut collection, whose seven stories offer sharp, unflinching but ultimately charitable portraits of chinese immigrant families in the us. In this debut collection, she conjures the disturbing and often hilarious experience of adolescence through the eyes of chinese american girls growing up in new york city.
Zhang studied at stanford university and holds an mfa from. Jul 23, 2017 sour heart by jenny zhang is published by bloomsbury. Sour heart by jenny zhang overdrive rakuten overdrive. In her book sour heart, jenny zhang arrives as a chineseamerican voice we havent heard yet in her book sour heart, jenny zhang arrives as a chineseamerican voice we havent. Jenny zhang on sour heart, her debut book with lena dunham. I first picked up jenny zhangs debut short story collection sour heart because i heard that it was about. Aug 01, 2017 jenny zhangs astounding shortstory collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves, within single sentences, from overwhelming beauty to abject pain. Aug 24, 2017 sour heart, the tremendous debut story collection by jenny zhang, is structured as a theme and variations, the theme being firstgeneration chinese american daughters living in new york city. In her book sour heart, jenny zhang arrives as a chinese. Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of. Jenny zhangs obscene, beautiful, moving story collection, sour. I first picked up jenny zhangs debut short story collection sour heart because i heard that it was about daughters of chinese immigrants who lived in new york city.
Winner of the penbingham prize for debut fiction winner of l. Jul 31, 2017 jenny zhang s short story collection sour heart is the first book from lenny, the new literary imprint from lena dunham. Jenny zhang s comingofage stories will leave a mark on your heart a conversation with the writer about being shy, gross body stuff, and her gorgeous first story collection, sour heart. In sour heart, zhang normalizes the most desperate human behavior, giving readers the space to observe her characters without judgment. Jenny zhang s astounding shortstory collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves, within.
Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to america the stories in jenny zhangs powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes disturbing experiences of. Sour heart, the tremendous debut story collection by jenny zhang, is structured as a theme and variations, the theme being firstgeneration chinese. Its a collection of stories about immigrant girls coming of age in new. Jenny zhangs short story collection sour heart is the first book from lenny, the new literary imprint from lena dunham. Jul 26, 2017 writer and poet jenny zhang on sour heart, a visceral portrait of chineseamerican girls in new york in the 90s. What to read this fall, according to vogue editors vogue. I will never forget the first time i read jenny zhang i was stunned, moved and quite frankly a little jealous this book takes jennys voice to a new level i hope you love sour heart as much as i do lena dunhamcentred on a community of immigrants who have traded their endangered lives as artists in china and taiwan for the constant struggle of life at the poverty line in. Aug 01, 2017 zhang is a powerful fiction writer who offers an intimate look at girlhood. Stories, a book that illuminates the lives of six young chinese immigrant girls wrestling with what defines their history, family, womanhood, friendships, and themselves. She has published a collection of poetry called dear jenny, we are all find and a nonfiction chapbook called hags.
Aug 26, 2017 theyve made a savvy choice with their opening literary salvo. The millions jenny zhangs sour heart is a revelation. The new americans of sour heart, jenny zhangs stereotypeobliterating first fiction, are stuck in limbo. Jenny zhangs obscene, beautiful, moving story collection. A debut collection of stories that plunge listeners into the tender and chaotic hearts of adolescent girls growing up in new york city, from celebrated poet and national magazine award nominee jenny zhang. Her stories cut across generations and continents, moving from the fraught halls of a public school in flushing, queens, to the tumultuous streets of shanghai, china, during the cultural revolution of the 1960s.
Christina, a young girl from shanghai, struggles to grow up as her parents sacrifice themselves to the dehumanizing humiliations of poverty. Jenny zhangs raw sour heart is an unforgettable debut collection. Sep, 2017 jenny zhangs story collection sour heart begins with something you dont see often in fiction. Many of the stories deal with a family dynamic, of femininity, of sexuality andcontinue reading. Additionally, zhang has worked as a freelance essayist for other publications. Sour heart is a fitting title for jenny zhang s debut collection, whose seven stories offer sharp, unflinching but ultimately charitable portraits of chinese immigrant families in the us. Jul 31, 2017 how jenny zhang discovered her literary fairy godmother in lena dunham the poet and essayists debut shortstory collection, sour heart, hits shelves tomorrow via the newly launched lenny book. From 2011 to 2014, zhang wrote extensively for rookie. Times art seidenbaum award for first fiction finalist for nypl young. A sly debut story collection that conjures the experience of adolescence through the eyes of chinese american girls growing up in new york.
Zhang right is a young poet and essayist, and sour heart is the first title acquired by lena dunham for her lenny imprint at random house in the us. Jenny zhangs comingofage stories will leave a mark on. Jul 05, 2018 we were joined by jenny zhang, the author of one of the most lauded debuts of the last year, the gorgeous and grotesque slate, sour heart. Jenny zhangs characters and scenic precision stand out in her debut collection of short stories, sour heart. Jenny zhangs astounding shortstory collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered. Sour heart, a collection of seven short stories from brooklyn poet jenny zhang, who, we can safely say, is a voice of a. Jenny zhang s sour heart is a knockout by christian lorentzen the tricky thing about child narrators is that, like children themselves, they are often obnoxious. Theyve made a savvy choice with their opening literary salvo. Her stories cut across generations and continents, moving from the fraught halls of a public school in flushing, queens, to the tumultuous streets of shanghai, china, during the. Oct 19, 2017 but by the time jenny leaves for college, her bro, emotionally naturalised in the us of a, will only speak to her if her mother pays him a few bucks. A sly debut story collection that conjures the experience of adolescence through the eyes of chinese american girls growing up in new york cityfor readers of zadie smith, helen oyeyemi, and junot.
Aug 14, 2017 jenny zhangs astounding shortstory collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves. The grotesque loveliness of sour heart the new republic. Aug 18, 2017 sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to america the stories in jenny zhangs powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes disturbing experiences of young. Its the inaugural publication from the lenny letter imprint and also the most personally impactful collection of stories ive read by someone who looks, sounds, and thinks like me. How jenny zhang discovered her literary fairy godmother in lena dunham the poet and essayists debut shortstory collection, sour heart, hits shelves. Stephanie newman talks with jenny zhang about her new short story collection, sour heart. Praise for sour heart jenny zhangs comingofage tales are coarse and funny, sweet and sour, told in language thats roughhewn yet pulsating with energy. Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to america the stories in jenny zhangs powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes disturbing experiences of young. Im particularly interested jenny zhang s sour heart august 1, the first book from lena dunhams lenny imprint. Like i long to come home, but now, i will always come home to my family as a visitor, and that weighs on me, reverts me back into the teenager i was, but instead of insisting that i want everyone to leave me alone, what i want now is for someone to beg me to. Jenny zhang on sour heart, her debut book with lena dunhams. Jenny zhang s astounding shortstory collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves. Jenny zhang born 1983 is an american writer, poet, and prolific essayist based in brooklyn, new york. The imprints first title, a debut short story collection by poet jenny zhang called sour heart, publishes august 1 and has been heralded as one of the biggest, buzziest books of 2017.
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