Chinese American Literature since the 1850s (Asian American Experience)

Using a fresh approach that combines literary and historical scholarship, Xiao-huang Yin covers representative works from the 1850s to the present. These include journalistic and autobiographical texts from nineteenth-century Chinese authors; writings of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century "cultivated Chinese," students and scholars who came to America to advance their education; and the work of more recent authors who have entered the canon.

As the only volume that covers the literature written by immigrant authors in the Chinese language, Yin’s book significantly enlarges the scope of Chinese and Asian American studies. This body of literature reflects the high percentage of Chinese Americans for whom the Chinese language remains an integral part of everyday life.

A core text for students and scholars of Asian American studies, CHINESE AMERICAN LITERATURE SINCE THE 1850S is an important resource for literary critics and historians interested in diaspora studies, transnationalism, race and ethnicity, and the immigrant experience in which Chinese American literature is embedded.