Maxine Hong Kingston

Ruth Maxey (University of Nottingham)
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Maxine Hong Kingston is one of the most widely-taught American writers and arguably the most canonical Asian American author. She has achieved this influential position despite a relatively small output. In over 30 years, she has produced six texts: two works of fictionalised life-writing,

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts

(1976) and

China Men

(1980); a collection of essays,

Hawai’i One Summer

(1987);

Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book

(1989), a novel;

To Be the Poet

(2002), a short disquisition on poetry; and

The Fifth Book of Peace

(2003), a blend of fictional and autobiographical forms. Kingston has also edited a volume entitled

Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace

(2006): the result of writing workshops she has run for those affected by war. Her work is often dense…

3003 words

Citation: Maxey, Ruth. "Maxine Hong Kingston". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 December 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2519, accessed 21 November 2024.]

2519 Maxine Hong Kingston 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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