Susan Blumberg-Kason
Susan Blumberg-Kason is the author of Good Chinese Wife: A Love Affair with China Gone Wrong (Sourcebooks, 2014) and co-editor of Hong Kong Noir (Akashic Books, 2018). She is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Review of Books and the Asian Review of Books. Her work has also appeared in The Frisky, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, and the South China Morning Post. She received an MPhil in Government and Public Administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she researched emerging women’s rights over 100 years ago. Born, raised, and now based in the Chicago suburbs, Susan is an elected trustee of her public library.
Twitter: @Susan_BK
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
Absolutely! I constantly think that if I publish one more book, I can finally be considered an author. But after two traditional publishing book deals, I wonder if I'll ever feel settled. When I've read other author interviews or have listened to other authors speak, I've seen that Imposter Syndrome is quite common. And if it's not Imposter Syndrome with other authors, then there's definitely an "I'll never publish again" fear. I don't think many authors feel 100% secure in their publishing futures.
Vacation druthers...City or Rural destination. Why?
I'll choose cities over rural or beach vacations 9 times out of 10. Maybe it's because my parents honeymooned in New York City and instilled in me a love of cities. When I was twelve, my family traveled to Mexico City over winter break. This was a time when Americans were flocking to Acapulco and Mazatlan, maybe because of the Love Boat, if they went to Mexico. I loved the energy of Mexico City: the fragrance of tortillas frying in carts around Chapultepec Park, riding the public buses with The Temptations piping through the sound system, and viewing the enormous Diego Rivera murals. We did travel to the countryside on day trips, but that's the beauty of cities. There are always daytrips for a change of scenery.
If you could create a museum exhibition, what would be the theme?
I'm sure this has been done many, many times, but I'm always curious about beginnings. I love hearing about how authors became authors. I'm also interested in how artists started out. So if I could curate an exhibit, I would love to display the very earliest works of artists we know and love. For instance, Andy Warhol started in advertising, so an exhibition of his earliest work in advertising or even before that. Frida Kahlo was interested in art as a young child, and turned back to it after her bus accident at the age of 18. So maybe an exhibit of her work from just after the accident.
What piece of clothing tells the most interesting story of your life?
I'd have to say it's a red silk qipao, or Chinese form-fitted dress. I bought this dress just before I got married the first time and wrote my memoir about that marriage. After five moves, I have kept the dress close by to remind me of that time when I was young and invincible. My twenties certainly had turbulent years, but I wouldn't change them for anything.
Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?
I studied French for eight years from the age of eleven to nineteen, but never had much of a chance to use it. When I was nineteen, I started studying Mandarin and have kept with it. When I lived in Hong Kong in my twenties, I picked up simple Cantonese. I write mainly about China and Hong Kong, so it does influence my writing in that I can mention terms if needed and have an idea of what they mean and usually if they're used correctly. But I think it influences my reading even more. If I read a book that uses Chinese terms, I'm more apt to understand the spirit of these words than if I relied on the English translation that usually accompanies them. I respect translators so much and greatly admire the way they translate not just the meaning but also the spirit of words and terms. But translators usually don't translate foreign terms in English books. That instead usually falls to the copy editors at publishing houses who usually have no background in that other language. I wish the American education system would prioritize the study of other languages. It will only make us culturally richer!
