Ha Jin and His Novels

Months ago while I was searching through the National Book Award list, Ha JIn, a Chinese name struck my eyes. The novel Waiting won him the award. I searched the book over Amazon, where you can get a copy at around $1, which is obviously depressing.

Yesterday I came across all his four major books in the public library. I borrowed two of them, Waiting and Under the Red Flag.

I read a few pages of Waiting. The story is about a doctor who for 17 years, tries to divorce his wife, a humble and touchingly loyal woman, after he fell in love with a nurse who is educated, clever and modern. Originally flavored Chinese names and Chinese settings are familiar, and I tended to picture his descriptions in my mind all through these pages. I was doing things like mind-directing a movie about China's countryside people and life.

It is a kind of interesting reading because the reading indeed puts me right back into China. Even his English reads like typical English written by a Chinese good at English.

I wonder what an American picture when he is reading.

By the way, this guy came to the U.S. in 1985, and teaches English in Emory University.