Chinese writer and professor
Yiyun Li (born November 4, 1972) is a Chinese -born writer and professor in the United States . Her short stories and novels have won several awards, including the PEN/Hemingway Award and Guardian First Book Award for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers ,[1] [2] the 2020 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award for Where Reasons End, [3] and the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for The Book of Goose .[4] Her short story collection Wednesday's Child was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize .[5] She is an editor of the Brooklyn-based literary magazine A Public Space .[6]
Biography
Li was born and raised in Beijing , China .[7] [8] Her mother was a teacher and her father worked as a nuclear physicist.[9] In Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life, Li recounts moments from her early life, including the abuse she received from her mother.[10]
Following a compulsory year of service in the People's Liberation Army ,[7] she went on to earn a Bachelor of Science at Peking University in 1996. In the same year she moved to the US.[1] In 2000, she earned an Master of Science in immunology at the University of Iowa .[11] In 2005, she earned an Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction and fiction from The Nonfiction Writing Program and the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa .[11]
Li's stories and essays have been published in The New Yorker ,[12] The Paris Review , and Zoetrope: All-Story . Two of the stories from A Thousand Years of Good Prayers were adapted into 2007 films directed by Wayne Wang : The Princess of Nebraska and the title story , which Li adapted herself.
Yiyun Li lived in Oakland, California from 2005-2008 with her husband and their two sons. During that time, she taught at Mills College .[13] From 2008-2017, she moved out of Oakland to assume a faculty position at the Department of English at the University of California, Davis .[13] Since 2017, she has taught creative writing at Princeton University .[13]
Li had a breakdown in 2012 and attempted suicide twice.[14] [10] After recuperating and leaving the hospital, she lost interest in writing fiction, and for a whole year, she focused on reading several biographies, memoirs, diaries and journals. According to her, reading about other people's lives "was a comfort."[14] Her experiences with depression resulted in her 2017 memoir Dear Friend.[14] A few months after the book was published, her sixteen-year-old son, Vincent, killed himself,[10] [11] which she explored in her 2019 novel Where Reasons End.[15] [16]
In September 2022, Li published The Book of Goose , a tale of a literary hoax spun by two thirteen-year-old girls in post-war France . The New York Times described it as "an existential fable that illuminates the tangle of motives behind our writing of stories."[17] In April 2023, the novel won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction .[18]
Li has taught fiction at the University of California, Davis and is a professor of creative writing at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University .[19]
On 16 February 2024, her nineteen-year-old son, James, was fatally hit by a train in the Princeton township.[20] His death was ruled a suicide by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office.[21]
Award and honours
Li has received several notable fellowships, including the Lannan Foundation residency in Marfa, Texas ; a MacArthur Foundation fellowship (2010),[22] [23] and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2020).[24]
In 2007, Granta named Li in their list of the 21 best young American novelists.[25] In 2010, she was listed among The New Yorker ' s "20 Under 40."
In 2012, Li was selected as a judge for The Story Prize after having been a finalist for the award in 2010,[26] and in 2013, she judged the Man Booker International Prize .[27]
In 2014, she won The American Academy of Arts and Letters 's Benjamin H. Danks Award. In 2020, she won the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for Fiction,[28] [29] [30] and in 2022, she won the PEN/Malamud Award , which "recognizes writers who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the short story form."[31] [32]
In 2023, she was elected as a Royal Society of Literature International Writer.[33]
In 2024, she was named a finalist for The Story Prize .[34]
Publications
Novels
Memoir
Li, Yiyun (2017). Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life . Random House.
Short fiction
Collections
Li, Yiyun (2005). A Thousand Years of Good Prayers . Random House.
— (2010). Gold boy, emerald girl . Random House.
— (2023). Wednesday's Child . Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Short stories
Title
Year
First published
Reprinted/collected
Extra
2003
"Extra" . New Yorker . December 14, 2003.
The Proprietress
2005
"The Proprietress" . Zoetrope: All-Story . 9 (4). Fall 2005.
House Fire
2007
"House Fire" . Granta . 97: Best of Young American Novelists 2. Spring 2007.
Prison
2006
"Prison" . Tin House (28). Summer 2006.
Li, Yiyun (2008). "Prison". In Furman, Laura (ed.). The O. Henry Prize stories 2008 . New York: Anchor Books.
A Man Like Him
2008
"A Man Like Him" . New Yorker . May 12, 2008.
Li, Yiyun (2009). "A man like him". In Sebold, Alice (ed.). The best American short stories 2009 . Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Alone
2009
"Alone" . New Yorker . November 16, 2009.
The Science Of Flight
2010
"The Science Of Flight" . New Yorker . August 30, 2010.
A Small Sacrifice
2010
"A Small Sacrifice" . The Threepenny Review . 123 . Fall 2010.
A Sheltered Woman
2014
"A Sheltered Woman" . New Yorker . March 10, 2014.
Li, Yiyun (2015). A Sheltered Woman . HarperCollins.
On The Street Where You Live
2017
"On The Street Where You Live" . New Yorker . January 9, 2017.
A Small Flame
2017
"A Small Flame" . The New Yorker . 93 (12): 54–61. May 8, 2017.
A Flawless Silence
2018
A Flawless Silence . New Yorker. April 23, 2018
When We Were Happy We Had Other Names
2018
When We Were Happy We Had Other Names . New Yorker. September 24, 2019
All Will Be Well
2019
All Will Be Well . New Yorker. March 11, 2019
The Ability to Cry
2020
The Ability to Cry . New Yorker. November 16, 2020
If You Are Lonely and You Know It
2021
If You Are Lonely and You Know It . Amazon Original Stories. February 25, 2021
Hello, Goodbye
2021
Hello, Goodbye . New Yorker. November 8, 2021
Wednesday's Child
2023
Wednesday's Child . New Yorker. January 23, 2023
Essays and reporting
References
^ a b c "Interview with Yiyun Li, 2006 PEN/Hemingway Award Winner" . The Hemingway Society . Retrieved 2019-05-05 .
^ Guardian Staff (2006-12-06). "Interview with Guardian First Book Award winner Yiyun Li" . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-05-05 .
^ a b "Yiyun Li receives PEN/Jean Stein Book Award for originality, merit and impact" . Princeton University . 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-03-09 .
^ "Yiyun Li's 'The Book of Goose' wins PEN/Faulkner award" . AP News . April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023 .
^ admin (2024-05-07). "2024 Pulitzer Prize Finalists include Yiyun Li and Ed Park" . Lewis Center for the Arts . Retrieved 2024-07-04 .
^ A Public Space .
^ a b Altmann, Jennifer. "Creative Writing: Life, By the Book" . Princeton Alumni Weekly (June 6, 2018 ed.). Retrieved 31 July 2020 .
^ Thompson, Bob (28 December 2005). "Proving the extraordinary" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 31 July 2020 .
^ Laity, Paul (24 February 2017). "Yiyun Li: 'I used to say that I was not an autobiographical writer – that was a lie' " . The Guardian . Retrieved 24 February 2017 .
^ a b c Armitstead, Claire (2022-09-18). "Yiyun Li: 'I'm not that nice friendly Chinese lady who writes… Being subversive is important to me' " . The Observer . ISSN 0029-7712 . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ a b c Strong, Lynn Steger (2022-09-20). "How novelist Yiyun Li learned to capture shadows" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Yiyun Li" . The New Yorker . Retrieved 26 February 2017 .
^ a b c "Yiyun Li – The Oakland Artists Project" . Retrieved 2024-01-15 .
^ a b c Laity, Paul (2017-02-24). "Yiyun Li: 'I used to say that I was not an autobiographical writer – that was a lie' " . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2017-07-12 .
^ "Yiyun Li navigates the loss of a child in her heartbreaking new novel" . CBC Radio . 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ Sehgal, Parul (2019-01-22). "A Mother Loses a Son to Suicide, but Their Dialogue Continues" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ O'Grady, Megan (18 September 2022). "Why Write? Yiyun Li's New Novel Explores Our Urge to Invent" . The New York Times . Retrieved January 15, 2024 .
^ "Announcing the Winner of the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction" . PEN/Faulkner . Retrieved January 15, 2024 .
^ "Yiyun Li" . Lewis Center for the Arts . Retrieved 2018-05-12 .
^ The Office of Communications of Princeton University (20 Feb 2024). "The University community mourns the loss of undergraduate James Li" . Princeton University . Retrieved 2024-02-21 .
^ "Princeton Student Struck by Train Was Creative Writing Director's Son" . Princeton Alumni Weekly . Retrieved 2024-05-22 .
^ "Awards: MacArthur Fellows; Independent Booksellers Book Prize" . Shelf Awareness . 2010-09-28. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Yiyun Li - Professor of English" . University of California, Davis . Retrieved 25 February 2017 .
^ "Yiyun Li" . John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ Lea, Richard (2007-03-05). "Granta nominates best young US novelists" . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Story Prize Judges Named" . Shelf Awareness . 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "2013 Man Booker International Prize Finalists Announced" . Publishers Weekly . 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Citation for Yiyun Li" . Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-01-06 .
^ "Awards: Rathbones Folio, Windham Campbell Winners" . Shelf Awareness . 2020-03-24. Archived from the original on 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2023-03-14 .
^ Nawotka, Ed (2020-03-19). "Eight Writers Awarded $165,000 Windham-Campbell Prizes" . Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Yiyun Li Wins the 2022 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story" . PEN/Faulkner . 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Awards: PEN/Malamud, Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator Winners" . Shelf Awareness . 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "RSL International Writers | 2023 International Writers" . Royal Society of Literature. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023 .
^ "Here are this year's finalists for The Story Prize" . LitHub. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024 .
^ Crown, Sarah (26 September 2005). "Inaugural short story award goes to debut author" . The Guardian . Retrieved 14 September 2011 .
^ "Guardian first book award: all the winners" . The Guardian . 2016-04-07. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Awards: The Whiting Writers' Awards" . Shelf Awareness . 2006-10-26. Retrieved 2022-03-26 .
^ "Awards: The Whiting Writers' Awards" . Shelf Awareness . 2006-10-26. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "TSP: Anthony Doerr's Memory Wall Wins The Story Prize" . The Story Prize . 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Awards: Story Prize; American History Book; Believer Shortlist" . Shelf Awareness . 2011-03-04. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "The Vagrants: A Novel | Awards & Grants" . American Library Association . 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ Markel, Liz (2010-01-17). "Outstanding fiction, non-fiction and poetry titles named to 2010 Notable Books List for adult readers" . American Library Association . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ Flood, Alison (2011-07-12). "Strong showing for Irish writers on Frank O'Connor shortlist" . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Awards: Frank O'Connor Shortlist; COVR Visionary Winners" . Shelf Awareness . 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Awards: NCIBA Books of the Year; Griffin Poetry Prize" . Shelf Awareness . 2011-04-06. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Awards: St. Francis College Literary Prize" . Shelf Awareness . 2011-09-23. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ Taylor, Charlie (15 June 2011). "Colum McCann wins Impac award" . The Irish Times . Retrieved 26 February 2017 .
^ "Awards: Orange; Impac Dublin; Wodehouse Prize" . Shelf Awareness . 2011-04-13. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Yiyun Li Wins Sunday Times Short Story Award" . Department of English . University of California Davis . 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Awards: Sunday Times EFG Short Story; James Beard; Encore" . Shelf Awareness . 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "PEN America Literary Award Winners Honored" . Shelf Awareness . 2020-03-04. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ Reid, Calvin (2020-03-04). "Writers Li, Lok, de Waal Win Big at PEN Lit Awards" . Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ Schaub, Michael (2023-04-05). "Yiyun Li Wins the PEN/Faulkner Award for 2023" . Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "Awards: PEN/Faulkner for Fiction, Anisfield-Wolf, Windham-Campbell Winners" . Shelf Awareness . 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
^ "2023 Winners" . Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) . 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2023-04-06 .
External links
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