Great Books 40: Mary Chapman on Sui Sin Far’s ”Mrs. Spring Fragrance”

Who was the first Chinese American writer to publish in America? 

Sui Sin Far, or Edith Maude Eaton, was born to a British father and Chinese mother who immigrated from England first to the U.S. and then to Montreal in 1873. She first published articles on the racist laws and practices that limited the civil rights and social standing of Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans. Although she could have “passed” for a white woman under her Western name, she adopted the name Sui Sin Far and, during a time of intense Sinophobia, aligned herself with Chinese Americans. Far settled in San Francisco and then in Seattle’s small but growing Chinatown. With her stories, many of which feature Chinese American characters grappling with assimilation, cultural differences, and social conditions, she becomes one of the first authors to present a positive image of Chinese American life for general readers and is considered the first Asian American author to publish fiction in America. Her stories have been recognized by scholars for their literary merit. Her sense of irony, deft character descriptions and dynamic dialogue in situations specific to the Asian American and Asian Canadian communities render moral dilemmas with universal resonance. 

I spoke with one of the great experts on Sui Sin Far and her sister, Winnifred Eaton (Onoto Watanna): Professor Mary Chapman, Professor of English and Academic Director of the Public Humanities Hub at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, and author of Becoming Sui Sin Far: Early Fiction, Journalism and Travel Writing by Edith Eaton, who also directs a crucial website: https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/

///////////////

Follow us:

TWITTER - @ulibaer 

INSTAGRAM - @uli.baer 

(THINK ABOUT IT PODCAST) - @thinkaboutit.podcast

////////////////

Listen to the Podcast on:

APPLE PODCASTS - Think About It Podcast

SPOTIFY - Think About It Podcast

YOUTUBE: Ulrich Baer 

////////////////

Thanks for listening! :)