Amy Tan a life thats strangerthan a fiction.docx
《Amy Tan a life thats strangerthan a fiction.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Amy Tan a life thats strangerthan a fiction.docx(11页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
![Amy Tan a life thats strangerthan a fiction.docx](https://file1.bdocx.com/fileroot1/2023-2/8/994b51a4-ebbc-4774-af2e-198ecd751be1/994b51a4-ebbc-4774-af2e-198ecd751be11.gif)
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