BOOKSELLER INFORMATION

Publication Date: 15-Sep-09 | ISBN: 9781844715763 | Trim Size: 216 x 140 mm | Extent: 160pp | Format: Paperback

UK Distribution:   | USA Distribution:   | Publishing Status: Active

SYNOPSIS

Five million English-speaking Chinese, Indians and Malays live in Singapore today – an artificial port city created entirely by British traders in the 19th century. The Singapore-born, multi-lingual American writer Wena Poon describes herself and her fiction as an “accident of history.” She charts the 21st century journey of Singaporeans as they settle in the cities of New York, Los Angeles, London, Perth and Toronto. In her vivid stories, Poon captures the true urban sophistication of New Asia and the journey of an eclectic people coming to terms with their cultural legacy.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface; Addiction; Dog Hot Pot; The Man Who Was Afraid of ATMs; Lions In Winter; The Hair Washing Girl; The Toys; The Move; Mrs Chan's Wedding Day; Kenny's Big Break; Those Who Serve; Those Who Do Not; The Shooting Ranch; Acknowledgements

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK

“Refreshingly unpretentious and heartfelt.” —Tan Twan Eng

“Asia desperately needs more narratives like hers to cancel out all the foolish, precious exoticism, pagodas and bound feet and concubines everywhere.” —Preeta Samarasan

PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS

“The exile returns to illuminate an intimate part of Singapore, and does so quite beautifully.” —Neel Chowdhury Time Magazine

“Determined to talk about the here and now, and to give voice to millions of Asians who are woefully underrepresented in English language fiction.” —Alexandra Wong The Star, Malaysia

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Wena Poon wrote fiction from an early age. Born and raised in Singapore, she moved to the United States when she was seventeen and has lived in New York, San Francisco and Austin. Lions In Winter was listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and the Singapore Literature Prize. She graduated magna cum laude in English Literature from Harvard University and holds a degree from Harvard Law School.