Chinese Literature - Li-hua Ying 2010

HUANG JINSHU, A.K.A. HUANG KIN-CHEW (1967— )
The Dictionary

HUANG JINSHU, A.K.A. HUANG KIN-CHEW (1967— ). Fiction and prose writer. One of the prominent Chinese-Malaysian writers, Huang Jinshu was born and raised in Malaysia. Like Li Yongping and Zhang Guixing, he went to study in Taiwan and launched his literary career there. He has made a name for himself as an innovative writer who challenges existing narrative techniques and as an unapologetically aggressive and sometimes impetuous critic. His fictional works are recognized for their sophisticated symbolism, allegory, and irony as well as elaborate narrative schemes. Some of his stories are set in the rainforest of Southeast Asia and others in metropolitan Taipei, both intersecting with the author’s sense of self-identity. Most notable are his portrayals of the Chinese immigrants in Malaysia and their struggle to maintain cultural and linguistic identities while trying to succeed in a foreign land. Huang’s fictional publications include Meng yu zhu yu liming (Dreams and Pigs and Dawn), Wu an ming (Black Dim Dark), You dao zhi dao (From Island to Island), Ke bei (Inscribed Back), and Tu yu huo (Earth and Fire). Fenshao (Setting on Fire), a collection of essays written over a span of 17 years (1989—2006) and published in 2007, expresses the author’s views on a wide variety of subjects, including history, culture, and self and nation. Huang’s scholarly publications include Huangyan huo zhenli de jiyi: dangdai Zhongwen xiaoshuo lun ji (The Art of Lies or Truth: Essays on Contemporary Chinese Language Literature) and Ma Hua wenxue yu zhongguoxing (Malaysian Chinese Literature and Chineseness).