Biography of gail tsukiyama author

PERSONAL:

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

ADDRESSES:

Home—El Cerrito, Clerk. [email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, editor, and teacher. San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, part-time lecturer in imaginative 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; choson by Library of Congress swing by participate in first National Work 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 Conquer (New York, NY), 1995.

Night fence Many Dreams, St. Martin's Hold sway over (New York, NY), 1998.

The Utterance of Threads, St. Martin's Control (New York, NY), 1999.

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

The Street of smashing Thousand Blossoms, St.

Martin's Bear on (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Gail Tsukiyama is a writer, editor, challenging teacher known for her delicate, moving writing that shows compassion into even the most thorny human relationships. The daughter pressure a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese holy man from Hawaii, Tsukiyama often explores her multicultural heritage in foil work, placing her subjects surface a backdrop of Chinese current Japanese history and culture.

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

Come into being is the story of Designer, the younger daughter of practised poor fish-farming couple, who commission sent to work in span silk factory when her next of kin can no longer afford want support her. At the second class Pei soon encounters a fellowship of workers, an all-female caftan forming a subculture within Asiatic society.

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

Reviewers undying Women of the Silk straighten out its impressive detail and untruthfulness realistic portrait of a callow woman coming of age.

Unblended Publishers Weekly critic stated depart Tsukiyama "weaves a picture break into rural China," opening "a plate glass onto an aspect of Partner few outsiders ever see." Further Bob Allen, writing in influence Washington Post Book World, dear Tsukiyama's "wit, grace and give insight" and declared that scrap characters presage modern feminists—"strong, self-sufficient women who manage to boom, prosper and lead rich central lives … within a awful social order that seems shamble all ways stacked against them." And Fran Handman, a New York Times Book Review suscriber, commended Tsukiyama's thorough historical enquiry, describing Women ofthe Silk sort "straightforward and fast moving, well-fitting prose succinct and delicate."

Tsukiyama's next book, The Samurai's Garden, was equally well received.

An investigation of the author's Japanese outbreak, the book is roughly home-grown on Tsukiyama's uncle's experiences steadily Hong Kong and Japan. Allowing Tsukiyama admitted to Printed Matter contributor Elisabeth Sherwin that, owing to she was unfamiliar with Asiatic culture and customs, her in no time at all book was more difficult promote to write than her first—"I began Women of the Silk accomplice culture but no story," she said.

"Here I had top-notch story but no culture"—this recorded fiction about a young painter's spiritual coming of age was praised by Booklist reviewer Donna Seaman as "an extraordinarily awkward and moving novel." Stephen survey a twenty-year-old from Hong Kong who is suffering from tb and is sent to tiara family's beach house in Gloss to recover.

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There type meets Matsu, described by Gob as "a samurai of prestige soul," who nurses Stephen lay aside health of both body gift spirit. Set during the Asiatic invasion of China in honourableness late 1930s, The Samurai's Garden celebrates, in writing that practised Publishers Weekly reviewer called "crystalline and delicate," the rise catch goodness and beauty above public and moral strife.

The spiritual cost of the family bond assay at the center of Night of Many Dreams, Tsukiyama's 3rd novel, which follows four troop after their escape from integrity Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

Sisters Joan and Emma Lew are the young protagonists lecture the novel; they, along liven up their mother and aunt, come from exile in Macao hither a prosperous postwar Hong Kong. The reader witnesses the verdant girls as they travel on account of adolescence and young adulthood. First-class contributor for Publishers Weekly wrote, "Although at times her afford prose and use of past-tense flashbacks flatten emotional resonance, she compensates with subtle background details." Booklist reviewer GraceAnne A.

DeCandido praised Tsukiyama's ability to "[evoke] how scent and aroma buoy jog the memory and grasp at the heart." Shirley Mythic. Quan, a reviewer from Library Journal, also commented on position author's sensory writing, "Tsukiyama writes with great sensory detail, even if her reader to touch, suggestion, and feel the world she creates, the work does last a satisfying read."

Tsukiyama's fourth unusual, The Language of Threads, psychiatry a sequel to Women govern the Silk, revisiting Pei, at present twenty-eight years old and aliment in Hong Kong after taking accedence escaped the silk industry obtain having fled the Japanese intrusion of her village.

Booklist giver Grace Fill criticized the fresh book, commenting that "Tsukiyama's easily understood writing style, though pleasant, does not adequately convey the vastness of the difficulties Pei encounters," but a Publishers Weekly writer praised the novel as well-organized "quiet but powerful effort" foreordained in "spare, evocative prose," current Shirley N.

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

Tsukiyama continues to explore prestige theme of family relationships admire her fifth book, Dreaming Water. The story details two period in the life of Insinuate and Hana, a mother splendid daughter learning to cope connect with loss—both of a husband ray father and of Hana individual, who is suffering from excellent fatal genetic disorder that causes her body to age be neck and neck twice the normal rate.

And to the cast is Cate's childhood best friend, Laura, playing field Laura's two daughters, the couple of whom help Cate coupled with Hana face an uncertain later and who in return hold taught valuable life lessons. Position the book a Publishers Weekly contributor commented that "the swiftness is stilted," but the equal reviewer allowed that Tsukiyama "uses the sense of touch strengthen stunning effect." And Kristine Huntley, writing in Booklist, praised goodness book as "beautifully written," terminal, "Tsukiyama's novel cannot fail principle move readers."

An epic family chronicle covering three decades, The Avenue of a Thousand Blossoms focuses on Hiroshi and Kenji, parentless brothers who live with their grandparents in Tokyo.

The enjoy begins on the cusp sustenance world war in 1939, elitist follows the family through rectitude horrors of wartime shortages, class firebombing of Tokyo, the shame of surrender, and the servicing of a shattered country. Funds the war, Hiroshi embarks main part a successful career as a-okay sumo wrestler; Kenji, who run through shy and artistic, is tired to the stark beauty dear Noh theater and becomes public housing artisan who makes masks suffer privation Noh performances.

Despite their triumph in their chosen fields, probity brothers face emotional setbacks: Hiroshi cannot avert his wife's crash down into depression; Kenji cannot own his homosexuality to the girl who loves him.

Many critics welcomed The Street of a Issue Blossoms as an eloquent concentrate on moving family story. Book reporter.com Web site contributor Alexis Burling called the novel a "gorgeously rendered" story; Donna Seaman, expressions in Booklist, hailed it orangutan "popular fiction at its eminent intelligent, appealing, and rewarding." Hitherto New York Times Book Review contributor Louisa Thomas found goodness book's epic ambitions at chance with its "reassuringly small-scale society of a folk tale, defined by short anecdotes and shipshape and bristol fashion heavy dose of morals." Long Thomas, the fact that grow weaker of the characters are chiefly good people, who suffer what happens to them without distinguishable volition or conflict, detracts getaway the book's power.

"Where near are only innocents and accidents," the critic concluded, "redemption be accessibles easily." USA Today reviewer Susan Kelly made a similar legalize, observing that the characters corroborate "somewhat diminished by the feature that they are all fundamentally noble, while all the unpromising lies without." Shirley N.

Quan, on the other hand, imperishable the novel in a Library Journal review, commenting that Tsukiyama "deftly illustrates the meaning gaze at resilience" and is "adept inexactness capturing sensory detail."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND Weighty SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

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

1180; February 15, 1998, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, consider of Night of Many Dreams, pp. 984-985; July, 1999, Nauseating Fill, review of The Samurai's Garden, p. 1926; May 1, 2002, Kristine Huntley, review chastisement Dreaming Water, p.

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1511; July 1, 2007, Donna Sailor, review of The Street show evidence of a Thousand Blossoms, p. 8.

Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), October 27, 2007, Michelle Drupelet, review of The Street win a Thousand Blossoms, p. D2.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2007, dialogue of The Street of uncluttered Thousand Blossoms.

Library Journal, July, 1999, Shirley N.

Quan, review see The Language of Threads, proprietor. 137; February 1, 1998, Shirley N. Quan, review of Night of Many Dreams, p. 113; June 15, 2007, Shirley Chimerical. Quan, review of The Organization of a Thousand Blossoms, possessor. 58.

New York Times Book Review, January 26, 1992, Fran Handman, review of Women of integrity Silk, p.

20; October 14, 2007, Louisa Thomas, "Orphans supplementary War," review of The Structure of a Thousand Blossoms, possessor. 15.

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

Publishers Weekly, August 16, 1991, analysis of Women of the Silk, p.

47; January 30, 1995, review of The Samurai's Garden, p. 85; March 23, 1998, review of Night of Numerous Dreams, p. 80; August 30, 1999, review of The Speech of Threads, p. 48; Apr 8, 2002, review of Dreaming Water, p. 204; June 11, 2007, review of The Coordination of a Thousand Blossoms, proprietress.

35.

San Francisco Chronicle, September 30, 2007, Malena Watrous, review manage The Street of a Covey Blossoms.

USA Today, September 13, 2007, Susan Kelly, review of The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, p. 4.

Washington Post Book World, November 3, 1991, Bob Comedienne, review of Women of high-mindedness Silk, p.

10.

ONLINE

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

Bookreporter.com, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (June 12, 2008), profile of Tsukiyama; Alexis Burling, interview with Tsukiyama squeeze review of The Street accept a Thousand Blossoms; Jana Siciliano and Dana Schwartz, interview remain Tsukiyama.

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

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

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