Asian American Autobiographers

A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook

Guiyou Huang

• Publisher: Greenwood
• Year: 2001
• Print ISBN: 9780313314087
• eBook ISBN: 9780313016769
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Asian Americans have made many significant contributions to industry, science, politics, and the arts. At the same time, they have made great sacrifices and endured enormous hardships. This reference examines autobiographies and memoirs written by Asian Americans in the twentieth century. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on 60 major autobiographers of Asian descent. Some of these, such as Meena Alexander and Maxine Hong Kingston, are known primarily for their writings; others, such as Daniel K. Inouye, are known largely for other achievements, which they have chronicled in their autobiographies. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a reliable account of the autobiographer's life; reviews major autobiographical works and themes, including fictionalized autobiographies and autobiographical novels; presents a meticulously researched account of the critical reception of these works; and closes with a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. An introductory essay considers the history and development of autobiography in American literature and culture and discusses issues and themes vital to Asian American autobiographies and memoirs, such as family, diaspora, nationhood, identity, cultural assimilation, racial dynamics, and the formation of the Asian American literary canon. The volume closes with a selected bibliography.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Be/coming American
• Meena Alexander (1951– )
• Carlos Bulosan (1911–1956)
• Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951–1982)
• Nien Cheng (1915– )
• Monlin Chiang (1886–1964)
• Chiang Yee (1903–1977)
• Cynthia L. Chou (1926– )
• Chuang Hua (?)
• Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1956– )
• Edith Maude Eaton (Sui Sin Far) (1865–1914)
• Benny F. Feria (1911–1978)
• Zulfikar Ghose (1935– )
• Myrna Lakshmi Gill (1943– )
• Han Suyin (Rosalie Chou) (1917– )
• Phung Thi Le Ly Hay slip (1949– )
• Garrett Hongo (1951– )
• Bill Hosokawa (1915– )
• Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (1935– ) and James D. Houston (1934– )
• Peter Hyun (1906–1993)
• Daniel K. Inouye (1924– )
• Younghill Kang (1903–1972)
• Richard E. Kim (1932– )
• Maxine Hong Kingston (1940– )
• Joy Kogawa (1935– )
• Helena Kuo (Kuo Ching-ch’iu) (1911– )
• Li-Young Lee (1957– )
• Mary Paik Lee (1900–1995)
• Ling-Ai (Gladys) Li (ca. 1910– )
• Janet Lim (ca. 1921– )
• Shirley Geok-Lin Lim (1944– )
• Alice P. Lin (1942– )
• Aimee E. Liu (1953– )
• Pardee Lowe (1905– )
• Adeline Yen Mah (1937– )
• Ved Parkash Mehta (1934– )
• Dhan Gopal Mukerji (1890–1936)
• Bharati Mukherjee (1940– )
• David Mura (1952– )
• Ilhan New (1895–1971)
• Haing S. Ngor (ca. 1941–1996)
• (Philip) Michael Ondaatje (1943– )
• Induk Pahk (1896–1980)
• No-Yong Park (1899–1976)
• Winnifred Eaton Babcock Reeve (Onoto Watanna) (1875–1954)
• Monica Sone (1919– )
• Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto (1874–1950)
• Sara Suleri (1953– )
• Mai-Mai Sze (1910–1992)
• George Takei (1937– )
• Kathleen Tamagawa (1893–1979)
• Hilary Tham (1946– )
• Nguèyn Thi Thu-Lâm (1940– )
• Yoshiko Uchida (1921–1992)
• Katherine Wei (1930– )
• Jade Snow Wong (1922– )
• Rae Yang (1950– )
• Laurence Michael Yep (1948– )
• Jim Yoshida (1921– )
• Yung Wing (1828–1912)
• Selected Bibliography
• Index
• About the Editor and Contributors