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Gish Jen

Author profile

born

Long Island, New York, The United States

website

http://www.gishjen.com/

genre

Literature & Fiction

About this author

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Gish Jen, born Lillian Jen (Chinese: 任璧蓮; pinyin: Rén Bìlián) in 1955, is a contemporary American writer.

Several of her short stories have been reprinted in The Best American Short Stories. Her piece "Birthmates", was selected as one of The Best American Short Stories of The Century by John Updike. Her works include four novels: Typical American, Mona in the Promised Land, The Love Wife, and World and Town. She has also written a collection of short fiction, Who's Irish?

Her first novel, Typical American, attempts to redefine Americanness as a preoccupation with identity. "As soon as you ask yourself the question, "What does it mean to be Irish-American, Iranian-American, Greek-American, you are American," she has said.

Her second novel, Mona...more

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Books by Gish Jen

Average rating: 3.41 · 2,616 ratings · 330 reviews · 18 distinct works

	Mona in the Promised Land: A Novel 3.43 avg rating — 704 ratings — published 1996 — 6 editions	My rating:
	The Love Wife 3.22 avg rating — 529 ratings — published 2004 — 5 editions	My rating:
	Typical American 3.40 avg rating — 562 ratings — published 1991 — 5 editions	My rating:
	Who's Irish?: Stories 3.47 avg rating — 305 ratings — published 1999 — 3 editions	My rating:
	World and Town 3.11 avg rating — 234 ratings — published 2010 — 10 editions	My rating:
	Ploughshares Fall 2000 : Fiction Issue 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2000	My rating:
	The Phoenix/The Water Faucet Vision by Gish Jen, Ursula K. Le Guin, Judith Walcutt 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1995 — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Love Wife 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2004	My rating:
	The Love Wife 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2005	My rating:
	Residente Permanente 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2005	My rating:

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Quotes by Gish Jen

“He was not what he made up his mind to be. A man was the sum of his limits: freedom only made him see how much so. America was no America.”
― Gish Jen

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Reading with Style: General Questions & Answers	212	93	May 01, 2011 10:11am
The Seasonal Read...: Spring Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS)	2898	731	May 31, 2011 09:01pm
Reading with Style: Reading w/Style Completed Tasks - Spring 2011	931	163	May 31, 2011 09:15pm
The History Book ...: ARCHIVED: COMMUNITY ROOM (OFF TOPIC CAFE FOR CONVERSATION)	1151	630	Jun 10, 2011 09:55am
readers advisory ...: Looking for something like Jhumpa Lahiri or Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet or	7	41	Dec 01, 2011 11:42am

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