Im well aware of the pressures that journalists face in china, especially in the current climate, where there is a risk that words can be twisted or taken out of context for political ends. He is the author of six books, including a trilogy about the decadeplus that he spent in china. Jan 21, 2015 readers of peter hessler, the author of river town and other wellreceived books about china, may have been surprised to see his byline this week in china daily, a staterun newspaper. Renowned writer peter hessler to present china remixed. A new york times notable bookwinner of the kiriyama book prizein the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley, lies the remote town of fuling. Id taught in china for a year a decade before hessler taught there for two years. The book is peppered with hilarious remarks about small details and profound insights about chinese culture. Peter hessler has been likened to a modernday mark twain for his nonfiction accounts of china, from the time he was a peace corps volunteer teaching english in the sichuan province 2001s river town to his run as the beijing correspondent for the. Oracle bones, which was a finalist for the national book award. The book won the kiriyama prize, which is awarded for works about the pacific rim and south asia. In some ways its better that i waited until the end of my time in china to read peter.
Especially during his first year in fuling, hessler was the quintessential outsider, and that is exactly how he was made to feel by the inhabitants of the town, who for many years had had virtually no contact with nonchinese people. Then, i encountered the author last month on one of his periodic visits to his alma mater. New yorker writer is surprised by byline in chinese newspaper. He won the 2008 national magazine award for excellence in. Peter hessler is a staff writer at the new yorker, where he served as beijing correspondent from 20002007 and cairo correspondent from 20112016. In 1996, peace corps volunteer, peter hessler, arrived in fuling, a quiet town on. It documents his peace corps teaching assignment at fuling teachers college in fuling, sichuan, which started in 1996 and lasted for two years. Mar 14, 2016 lu chuan is attached to direct and produce river town, the tristine skyler adaptation of the peter hessler memoir river town. Peter hessler peter hessler used books, rare books and new books. After living and writing three more books, he would return to the u. He is the author of river town, which won the kiriyama prize. He is also a contributing writer for national geographic. In the fall of 2011, peter hessler arrived in egypt, with his family twin toddlers, and his wife, the writer leslie chang. Peter hessler, river town river town is peter hesslers memoir of living and teaching in rural sichuan province as a peace corps volunteer in the 1990s.
In the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley. Subscribers receive the monthly magazine and access to all articles on our website. Peter hesslers new book on egypt china peace corps. River town recounts hesslers stay in the mid1990s in this town on the yangtze river, where he and his friend adam meier taught english language and literature to students at the local teachers college. Peter benjamin hessler is an american writer and journalist. But what he experienced the natural beauty, cultural tension, and complex process of. Lu chuan is attached to direct and produce river town, the tristine skyler adaptation of the peter hessler memoir river town.
From the acclaimed author of river town and oracle bones, an intimate excavation of life in one of the worlds oldest civilizations at a time of convulsive changedrawn by an abiding fascination with egypts rich history and civilization, peter hessler moved with his wife and twin daughters to cai. Peter hessler went on book tour with zhang jiren, his chinese censor. I ler went s river to the town coop a book bookstore i had in read harvard years ago square but recently that somehow to buy had a copy disappeared of peter hess from ler s river town, a book i had read years ago but that somehow had disappeared from. Peter benjamin hessler born 19690614june 14, 1969 is an american writer and journalist. It is one of the most widely read accounts in the englishspeaking world of living in china as a foreigner, and was published in chinese as.
Mar 29, 2017 after the talk, hessler will conduct a book signing in the auditorium foyer. Wed love you to buy this book, and hope you find this page convenient in locating a place of purchase. After the talk, hessler will conduct a book signing in the auditorium foyer. He is the author of river town, which more about peter hessler. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Hessler joined the new yorker as a staff writer in 2000 and served as foreign correspondent for the same publication until 2007. Peter hessler is a 1992 graduate of princeton university, a rhodes scholar at oxford, and was a peace corps volunteer in china from 1996 to 1998.
Renowned writer peter hessler to present china remixed talk. Peter hessler is a staff writer at the new yorker, where he served as the beijing correspondent from 2000 to 2007, and is also a contributing writer for national geographic. Buy this book in china, the year 1997 was marked by two momentous events. Ive read hesslers new yorker articles and love them. Jan 23, 2015 earlier this month, a reporter from china daily approached me with a request to do an interview, in conjunction with li xueshun, a former colleague from fuling who has translated the mainland editions of my books. River town, book written by bonnie geisert and illustrated by arthur geisert. Near the end of peter hesslers charming and insightful. River town is memoir, travelogue, and astute anthropological writing woven into a book that is difficult to put down. Like many other small cities in this everevolving country, fuling is heading down a new path of change and gro. I cant be certain why it took me so long to pick up hesslers seminal work, but i think it was due to the weight of it. Two years on the yangtze, details his two years teaching english. Get the best deal by comparing prices from over 100,000 booksellers. Synopsis when peter hessler went to china in the late 1990s, he expected to spend a couple of peaceful years teaching english in the town of fuling on the yangtze river.
Teacher, archaeologist, anthropologist, travel writer, master storyteller. Two years on the yangtze new ed by hessler, peter isbn. From 2000 until 2007, he was the magazines correspondent in china and, from 2011 to 2016, he was based in cairo, where he covered the events of the egyptian arab spring. Read free book excerpt from river town by peter hessler, page 1 of 2.
He is the author of four books about china and has contributed numerous articles to the new. Two years on the yangtze, which won the 2001 kiriyama book prize, describes hesslers experience as an english teacher in fuling, a small city on the yangtze river. Feb 22, 2019 peter hessler s the buried puts egypts past in perspective. Finally, i got around to reading his first book and discovered what id been missing all this time. Pdf hardship and healing through the lens of cultural.
But i never learned how the government reacted to the book. Simon winchester, author of the professor and the madman. The two had met in china, where hessler first landed as a peace corps volunteer in 1996. Two years on the yangtze, but it was only recently that i finally took the time to read it i cant be certain why it took me so long to pick up hesslers seminal work, but i think it was due to the weight of it. River town is a uniquely descriptive account of life in the chinese countryside during a time of change and evolution. Chang, also a writer, win a macarthur foundation genius award in 2011, and move to cairo for the next. It documents his peace corps teaching assignment at fuling teachers college in. The book recounts hesslers twoyear experience of working. Two years on the yangtze is a 2001 book by peter hessler. He is the magazines correspondent in the peoples republic of china, where he has lived since 1996.
River town, oracle bones,which was a national book award. Readers of peter hessler, the author of river town and other wellreceived books about china, may have been surprised to see his byline this week in china daily, a staterun newspaper. In this clip from 2007, peter hessler talks about his second book, oracles bones, which covers his time in china from 19992002. Jan 01, 2001 this book name is river town by peter hessler talk about the two years of peter came to china to teach. I had the privilege to interview hessler for my literary journal terracotta typewriter now defunct in 2010 copy is still available on issuu. Two years on the yangtze by peter hessler harpercollins, 2001. His subjects have included archeology in both china and egypt, a factory worker in shenzhen. The article is taken from the march 20 issue of national geographic magazine. Mar 22, 2016 like salzman, longtime new yorker writer peter hessler captured his time trying to shape young minds at a teachers college in chinas interior. Two years on the yangtze, set during the years 199698, has captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands of readers in both countries. A young american who spent two years teaching english literature in a small town on the yangtze, hessler observed these events through two sets of eyes. Peter hessler is a longform journalist whose three books and numerous magazine articles explore the complexities of life in reform era china as it undergoes one of the fastest social transformations in history. In the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley, lies the remote town of fuling. Healing through the lens of cultural translation in peter hesslers travel memoir river town find, read and.
Near the end of peter hessler s charming and insightful account of the two years he spent teaching english in. Hessler has continued to live in china, writing articles for the new. May 31, 20 china expert peter hessler goes to the ground. We are incredibly lucky to have peter hessler as a featured speaker for china remixed, said ed comentale, associate vice provost for arts and humanities and chair of the iu bloomington arts and humanities council. Peter hessler china discovers egypt peace corps worldwide. Thats a little how i felt about peter hessler s river town. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title river town. Peter hesslers the buried puts egypts past in perspective. Two years on the yangtze 2001 is a kiriyama prizewinning book about his experiences in two years as a peace corps volunteer teaching english in china. He is the author of four books about china and has contributed numerous articles to the new yorker and national geographic, among other publications. In 2001 peter hessler published his first book, river town, about the two. In 1996 a peace corps volunteer arrived in fuling, a sleepy town on the. In 1996, hessler reported for his peace corps duty to fuling, a city of some 200,000 souls astride the murky yangtze river, which cuts through the green and terraced mountains of sichuan province.
Like salzman, longtime new yorker writer peter hessler captured his time trying to shape young minds at a teachers college in chinas interior. Elizabeth i have only read two of peter hesslers books. Two years on the yangtze by peter hessler goodreads. After two years of teaching, hessler turned his experiences into a book titled river town.
A new york times notable book winner of the kiriyama book prize in the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley, lies the remote town of fuling. At the beginning of the story, peter came to fuling, china to teach the student that is in college english. The american author, peter hessler, shares his experiences as an outsider, trying to find his place amid the tumult of the cultural revolution, without getting lost in the process. Peter hessler wanted to get out of his comfort zone. In 2011, hessler received a macarthur foundation genius grant in recognition and encouragement of his keenly observed accounts of ordinary people responding to the complexities of life in such rapidly changing societies as reform era china. Peter hessler, river town austin woerners memory palace. Hessler makes it clear at the very outset that river town is not a book about china. Over the past two years ive had many interviews with the chinese press, including a book tour last fall. Founded in 1997, has become a leading book price comparison site. This book name is river town by peter hessler talk about the two years of peter came to china to teach.
River town is peter hesslers memoir of living and teaching in rural sichuan province as a peace corps volunteer in the 1990s. Thats a little how i felt about peter hesslers river town. What hessler describes in his book is what all foreigners notice when they come to china and observe the locals, i guess. China expert peter hessler goes to the ground in strange. Two years on the yangtze 2001 is a kiriyama prizewinning book about his experiences in two years as a peace.
For queries about peter hessler speaking at an event, use this form. Like many other small cities in this everevolving country, fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into. Peter would become a pcv in china from 199698 and write four books on his experiences, beginning with river town, the story of his peace corps tour. Peter benjamin hessler born june 14, 1969 is an american writer and journalist. Peter hessler journalist and author of strange stones. Peter hessler joined the new yorker as a staff writer in 2000. First, i read peter hesslers articles in the new yorker. First, i read peter hesslers articles in the new yorker then, i encountered the author last month on one of his periodic visits to his alma mater finally, i got around to reading his first book. From 2000 until 2007, he was the magazines correspondent in china and, from 2011 to 2016, he was based in cairo, where he covered. New yorker writer is surprised by byline in chinese. He is best known for his first three books on china. Two years on the yangtze, 2001 book by peter hessler. Have you ever read a book about something youve done that was by someone who did the same or close to it but better and that bothers you. His letter from china articles have included features on the basketball player yao ming, a shenzhen factory worker, and.
Aug 05, 2018 river town is peter hesslers memoir of living and teaching in rural sichuan province as a peace corps volunteer in the 1990s. Peter hessler, author of river town, two years on the yangtze, went to china not to check china is bafflingly massive. Two years on the yangtze, but it was only recently that i finally took the time to read it. Editor john coyne talks with peter hessler china peter hessler discovers egypt. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
1312 370 1538 224 1340 586 226 895 397 221 253 980 173 843 1255 1302 1405 1048 499 29 1508 1455 575 830 186 190 1500 988 1146 6 217 395 886 751 1379 685 1149 307 1177 113 1042 1355 1092 638 245 256