Amy Tan a life thats strangerthan a fiction.docx

Amy Tan a life thats strangerthan a fiction.docx

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AmyTanalifethatsstrangerthanafiction

AmyTan:

alifethat'sstrangerthanfiction

She’sdodgeddeathnumeroustimes.Hermotherhadasecretfamily.Hergrandmotherdiedbyeatingopium.SohowcouldauthorAmyTanthinkherlifewastooboringforfiction?

AmyTanathomeinSoHo,NewYorkPhoto:

DANIELSHEA

ByJaneMulkerrins

11:

30AMGMT02Nov2013

Inherairy,elegantapartment,slap-banginthecentreofSoHoinNewYork,AmyTanisexplainingthesquirm-inducingdifficultyofwritingsexscenes.“Iwassoworriedpeoplewouldthinktheywerecorny,orareflectionofmyownsexlife,”theauthorconfesseswithaslightlybashfulsmile.“AndIstartedthisbooklongbeforethatFiftyShadesofGreycameout.”Sheshakesherheadinhorroratthenotionofhernovelsbeingcomparedwiththat“mummyporn”hit.

ButTan’slatestbook,TheValleyofAmazement,issetpartlyinacourtesanhouseinearly-20th-centuryShanghai–wherewomenwereworkingasprostitutesandmistresses–sothenovelinevitablyinvolvesafairamountofbedroomhoopla,andshedeliberated,notsimplyoverthedeedsbutoverthelanguageusedtodescribethem.

“Iwasdeterminedtoputcertainwordsinthere,wordsthatIthoughtcourtesansreallywouldhaveused,”shetellsme,inhersoft,slightlysultryvoice.“Ididn’twanttobetoocoy,andIthoughtwordslike'enter’werealittlepedestrian,butIwasworriedthat'f—’and'c—’mightberepulsivetosomepeople.”

It’smorethanalittleincongruoustohearTan,apoised,polite61-year-oldauthorofintelligentpopularfiction,talkinglikeatrucker.Herfirstnovel,TheJoyLuckClub,comprising16interlockingstoriesaboutfourChineseimmigrantwomenandtheirAmerican-borndaughters,wasonTheNewYorkTimesbestsellerlistfor77weeksandhasbeenmadeintoaHollywoodfilm.Herfivesubsequentnovels,includingTheKitchenGod’sWifeandTheBonesetter’sDaughter,havebeenwildlysuccessfultoo,translatedintomorethan35languages,andshe’salsowrittenchildren’sbooksandnon-fiction.

TheAmerican-borndaughterofChineseimmigrantparents,Taniscreditedwithsparkingthetrendforfictionthatexploresethnicidentity.Herbooksaresetagainstsweepinghistoricalbackdrops;partofthedifficultywithherlatestwork,shesays,wasthatnoonehadconductedanyseriousresearchintocourtesanhousesofthatera.

“Ireadpornographyofthetime,Ireadbooksonpositions,aphrodisiacs,erotica,adviceformenonhowtobehaveinacourtesanhouse…buttherewasreallynoresearchoncourtesansthemselves,howtheylivedandspoke.”Still,herracyreadinglistsoundsrathermorefunthanmost.

Thedécorofhercavernousloft,ratherlikeherstories,isanexoticodyssey,withtapestriesandtextileshungfromthehighwhitewalls,vastjadeandyellowsofas,anelaborateMoroccanbedspread,agrandpiano,andagiantred-velvetday-bedsohighoffthefloorthatafamilyofsmallstoolssheltersbeneathit.

AmyTanwithherhusband,LouisDeMattei

IamgreetedfirstbyBobo,atiny,excitableteacupterrier,skitteringtowardsme,followedbyTan,whoiscarryingaboxofYorkshireteabagsshehasthoughtfullyprocuredforourmeeting.Sheispetite,sleekandslender,inblackleggings,wedgesandalsandachicVivienneTamtop.Shesportsasharpblackbob,abluntfringeandbright-redlipstick,alookthatmightcomeoffasseverewereifnotforherimmediateself-deprecatingwarmth.

Withherhusbandof39years,thetaxlawyerLouisDeMattei,shesplitshertimebetweenNewYorkandSanFrancisco,whichmustbesomethingofamissionasawriter,havingtoremembertocartnotesandmaterialsacrossthecountry.“Yes,andI’mterribleatthat,”shenods.“Andthisbookwasparticularlyresearch-heavy.”Itcertainlyshows:

TheValleyofAmazement,abrickofabookat608pages,spans40years,issetbetweenSanFrancisco,ShanghaiandremoteChinesevillages,andistheresultofeightyearsofwork.

“Thebookstartedoffquitedifferently.IttookahugeturnwhenIcameacrossaphotographattheAsianArtMuseuminSanFrancisco,”Tansays.PartofanexhibitionaboutWesterninfluencesonShanghai,thepicture,ofagroupofcourtesans,piquedTan’sinterest.Theywerewearingthesameoutfitsshehadseenhergrandmotherwearinginphotographs.“Iwastakenabacktoreadthatthecostumewasveryspecifictocourtesans.”

Tanknewsomedetailsofhergrandmother’sdramaticlife:

thatshehadbeenrapedbyhermerchanthusbandandcommittedsuicidebyswallowingrawopiumburiedinricecakeswhenherdaughter,Daisy,Tan’smother,wasjustnineyearsold.Butnoonehadevermentionedherbeingacourtesan.

TaninconcertasamemberoftheRockBottomRemaindersinNewYork,April2010（Getty）

“Ididn’thaveabsoluteproof.Shecouldhaveputontheget-upandgonetothephotostudioforfun,”shrugsTan.“IdressinadominatrixoutfitwhenIsingintheband[theRockBottomRemainders,agroupofmusicallyinclinedwritersthathasincludedBarbaraKingsolver,MayaAngelouandStephenKing,withwhomTansanguntiltheirrecentretirementfromtouring].ButIamnotadvertisingthatIamadominatrix.”Shesmiles.“Butitdidoccurtome:

whatifshewas[acourtesan]?

IsawthereweresomeinconsistenciesinwhatIhadbeentoldabouther,andformeinconsistenciesarewherestorieslie.”

Asinmuchofherpreviouswork,thecentralrelationshipinTan’snewbookisbetweenamotheranddaughter.InthiscasetheyareLucia,theAmericanmadamofahigh-classcourtesanhouse,andViolet,herspoiltchild.AndwhileTan’snovelsarenotstrictlyautobiographical,shedoesmineherownlifeforideasandinspiration.

ThereareclearparallelsbetweenVioletlearningthathermotherhadawhollydifferentlife–andanotherchild–beforeherandthediscoveriesTan,asateenager,madeaboutherownmother:

thatDaisyhadbeenmarriedbefore,inChina,toanabusivehusbandwithwhomshehadfivechildren,twoofwhomdied.DaisyfledtoCaliforniaand,unabletoretrievethem,didnotseeherthreesurvivingdaughtersfromthatmarriagefor30years.

“WhenIfirstfoundoutaboutherpreviousmarriageandtheotherdaughters,itwasveryshocking.IsuddenlyfeltthatIhadcompetition.”Tan’smotherhadleftShanghaiin1949,fivedaysbeforetheCommunistscametopower,followingherfather,John,whohadbeenanelectricalengineerinBeijing.“ButIfoundoutmuchmorerecentlythatsincedivorcewasnotpermitted,shewasn’tdivorcedwhenshemarriedmyfatherintheUnitedStates.”

Tanaged12（AmyTan）

Tanrecallsbothofherparentsstudyinghardatnightschoolwhenshewasgrowingup,inCalifornia.HermotherbecameanurseandherfatheraBaptistminister.Thefamilyalsomovedaroundalot;Tanspentherchildhoodin10differentcitiesintheSanFranciscoBayarea,which,shehassaid,contributedtoadeepsenseofalienation.“I’dloseasetoffriendsandspendmonthsbeforeI’dfindothers.Beingdifferentwaslesstoleratedthen;you’dbeteasedwithracialjokes.”

Athome,shehadaclosebutvolatilerelationshipwithhermother.WhenTanwas16,Daisyheldameatcleavertoherthroatandthreatenedtokillherinanargumentabouthernewboyfriend,andthepairdidnotspeakforayear.Tanwasalsofedasteadydietofsternwarningsandstrictwoe-betide-yous.

“Mymotheralwaysemphasised,'Youhavetogetyourownlife,yourownjob.Ifyoueverwanttoleaveyourhusband,thereshouldbenoquestionthatyoucantakecareofyourself,’”sherecalls.“Ihadnoideawhyshewassonegative,butofcourseshedidnotwantmeevertobeinthepositionofbeingundersomebody’sthumb.Shewantedmetobeincontrol.

“Shealsotoldme,'Ifyoudon’twanttohaveababy,nooneshouldmakeyouhaveababy–notyourhusband,notyourmother-in-law,notanyone.Iknowwhatitislikenottowanttohaveachild.’”Hermother,Tanlaterdiscovered,hadhadthreeabortionsinChina,afterbeingrapedbyherhusband.TanandDeMatteihavenochildren,andshehasnoregrets.“Weneverfeltastrongcompulsiontoduplicateourgeneticstructure,”shehassaid.“What’sinmethatI’dhavewantedtopassonisalreadyinthebooks.”

TanatabooksigninginCalifornia,May1992（Getty）

Incredibly,Tandidnotinitiallythinktowriteaboutherfamily.“WhenIstartedwritingfiction[inherearlythirties,afterworkingasaspeechtherapistandcopywriter],IthoughtIhadtomakeitallupbecausemylifeneverwouldhavebeeninterestingenough,”shesays.“ThatIgrewupinasuburbandmyparentshadfriendswhocameovertoplaymah-jong,andeatChinesefood–whowouldwanttoreadthat?

AndIwastryingtodistancemyselffromallthatanyway.”

Someearlyfeedbackonherfictionwritingurgedhertobeauthentic,tofindavoice.“Ididn’tknowwhatthatmeant,”Tanadmits.“ButthenIrealisedthatIwasabletotakemyfamily’spastandputthatinmystories,withoutusingthespecificdetails.IwassoexcitedbywhatIwaslearningaboutmyselfthatIdecideditdidn’treallymatterwhetherIevergotpublished–this,initself,wasworthit.”

Itgaveheradesiretohearhermother’sstoriesagain.“WhenIfinallysatdowntowriteTheJoyLuckClubandTheKitchenGod’sWife,Iwantedtoheareverythingshehadtotellme:

whatsheate,whereshewentshopping,whatherbedroomwaslike,whotheneighbourswere.Irecordeditallonvideotape.Mymotherlovedit;shefeltIfinallyunderstoodher,”Tansays.“She’dalwayswanted,Ithink,tohavesomebodygothroughherpastwithher,holdingherhandandsaying,'That’sterrible.’”DaisydiedofAlzheimer’sin1999,andhavingcapturedthosememorieswasasourceofcomfortforTa