Since the publication of The Woman Warrior in 1976, Maxine Hong Kingston
has gained a reputation as one of the most popular -- and controversial
-- writers in the Asian American literary tradition. In this volume
Grice traces Kingston's development as a writer and cultural activist
through both ethnic and feminist discourses, investigating her novels,
occasional writings and her two-book 'life-writing project'.
The publication of The Woman Warrior not only propelled Kingston into
the mainstream literary limelight, but also precipitated a vicious and
ongoing controversy in Asian American letters over the authenticity --
or fakery -- of her cultural references. Grice traces the debates
through the appearance of China Men (1981), as well as the novels,
Tripmaster Monkey (1989) and her most recent work, The Fifth Book of
Peace.
Maxine Hong Kingston will be of value to students and academics
researching in the areas of diaspora writing, contemporary American and
Asian- Amercianfiction, as well as feminist and postcolonial literature.