It seems like everyone is always waiting.
- Paul Wong
- fiction to Drum.<br><br>Courtesy of Emory University and Vintage International
Whether it”s the populace of Ann Arbor anticipating the arrival of critically acclaimed author and Emory University professor Ha Jin, or the lead character from Jin”s second novel “Waiting,” patience proves to always be a virtue.
Now, patience has proved itself a virtue once again. After a period of “waiting” several years, Jin graces fiction readers all over the world with “The Bridegroom,” a collection of 12 elegant, neatly told short stories set in Communist China. Jin evokes comparisons to Hemingway with his simplistic style of storytelling, and themes of nature, struggle, death and the search for identity.
The list of accolades for “Waiting” goes on and on: A New York Times Notable Book, it won the National Book Award, the Pen/Faulkner Award and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. “The Bridegroom” has received similarly spectacular reviews.
Accompanying Ha Jin at Shaman Drum tonight will be rising literary star Dennis Bock, newly-minted author of the highly anticipated “The Ash Garden.” A tale of the bombing of Hiroshima in 1946, Bock revolves three stories around the ethical and moral fallout from that act of war. Beautifully written and almost certain to be a contemporary classic, this is definitely one author to look for in the future.
The wait is almost over.