Near the end of peter hesslers charming and insightful. Mar 29, 2017 after the talk, hessler will conduct a book signing in the auditorium foyer. At the beginning of the story, peter came to fuling, china to teach the student that is in college english. Like many other small cities in this everevolving country, fuling is heading down a new path of change and gro. Feb 22, 2019 peter hessler s the buried puts egypts past in perspective. Buy this book in china, the year 1997 was marked by two momentous events. 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.
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. Like many other small cities in this everevolving country, fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into. Peter hessler, author of river town, two years on the yangtze, went to china not to check china is bafflingly massive. In some ways its better that i waited until the end of my time in china to read peter. Peter hesslers new book on egypt china peace corps. Thats a little how i felt about peter hesslers river town. Hessler has continued to live in china, writing articles for the new. Get the best deal by comparing prices from over 100,000 booksellers. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title river town. 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.
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 peter hessler used books, rare books and new books. Founded in 1997, has become a leading book price comparison site. He is the author of river town, which won the kiriyama prize. 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. Oracle bones, which was a finalist for the national book award. Elizabeth i have only read two of peter hesslers books. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. River town is memoir, travelogue, and astute anthropological writing woven into a book that is difficult to put down. He is best known for his first three books on china. It documents his peace corps teaching assignment at fuling teachers college in fuling, sichuan, which started in 1996 and lasted for two years. Two years on the yangtze by peter hessler goodreads. Two years on the yangtze, set during the years 199698, has captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands of readers in both countries.
The book is peppered with hilarious remarks about small details and profound insights about chinese culture. Teacher, archaeologist, anthropologist, travel writer, master storyteller. Peter hesslers the buried puts egypts past in perspective. Peter hessler joined the new yorker as a staff writer in 2000. Two years on the yangtze, details his two years teaching english. New yorker writer is surprised by byline in chinese newspaper. Two years on the yangtze is a 2001 book by peter hessler. Healing through the lens of cultural translation in peter hesslers travel memoir river town find, read and. In 2001 peter hessler published his first book, river town, about the two. For queries about peter hessler speaking at an event, use this form.
Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. 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. Two years on the yangtze, but it was only recently that i finally took the time to read it. River town, book written by bonnie geisert and illustrated by arthur geisert. 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. 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. From 2000 until 2007, he was the magazines correspondent in china and, from 2011 to 2016, he was based in cairo, where he covered.
It documents his peace corps teaching assignment at fuling teachers college in. 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. Thats a little how i felt about peter hessler s river town. Id taught in china for a year a decade before hessler taught there for two years. 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. After the talk, hessler will conduct a book signing in the auditorium foyer. A twoyear sojourn in a small city in central china yields this youthful, gracefully impressionistic portrait of a time and place from newcomer hessler.
His subjects have included archeology in both china and egypt, a factory worker in shenzhen. He is the author of four books about china and has contributed numerous articles to the new. Chang, also a writer, win a macarthur foundation genius award in 2011, and move to cairo for the next. Read free book excerpt from river town by peter hessler, page 1 of 2. Then, i encountered the author last month on one of his periodic visits to his alma mater. 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.
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. But i never learned how the government reacted to the book. In 1996, peace corps volunteer, peter hessler, arrived in fuling, a quiet town on. He won the 2008 national magazine award for excellence in. Subscribers receive the monthly magazine and access to all articles on our website. The two had met in china, where hessler first landed as a peace corps volunteer in 1996. Hessler joined the new yorker as a staff writer in 2000 and served as foreign correspondent for the same publication until 2007. His letter from china articles have included features on the basketball player yao ming, a shenzhen factory worker, and.
Hessler makes it clear at the very outset that river town is not a book about china. River town, oracle bones,which was a national book award. Renowned writer peter hessler to present china remixed. Ive read hesslers new yorker articles and love them. Peter hessler went on book tour with zhang jiren, his chinese censor. In this clip from 2007, peter hessler talks about his second book, oracles bones, which covers his time in china from 19992002.
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. Like salzman, longtime new yorker writer peter hessler captured his time trying to shape young minds at a teachers college in chinas interior. 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. Finally, i got around to reading his first book and discovered what id been missing all this time. Wed love you to buy this book, and hope you find this page convenient in locating a place of purchase. May 31, 20 china expert peter hessler goes to the ground. Peter benjamin hessler born 19690614june 14, 1969 is an american writer and journalist. Peter hessler, river town austin woerners memory palace. 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. The article is taken from the march 20 issue of national geographic magazine.
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. In the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley. 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. After two years of teaching, hessler turned his experiences into a book titled river town. Two years on the yangtze new ed by hessler, peter isbn. He is the author of six books, including a trilogy about the decadeplus that he spent in china. Jan 01, 2001 this book name is river town by peter hessler talk about the two years of peter came to china to teach. He is the author of river town, which more about peter hessler. 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. The book recounts hesslers twoyear experience of working. But what he experienced the natural beauty, cultural tension, and complex process of. In the fall of 2011, peter hessler arrived in egypt, with his family twin toddlers, and his wife, the writer leslie chang.
In 1996 a peace corps volunteer arrived in fuling, a sleepy town on the. Near the end of peter hessler s charming and insightful account of the two years he spent teaching english in. Peter hessler wanted to get out of his comfort zone. Editor john coyne talks with peter hessler china peter hessler discovers egypt. 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. He is the author of four books about china and has contributed numerous articles to the new yorker and national geographic, among other publications. China expert peter hessler goes to the ground in strange. 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. He is also a contributing writer for national geographic. 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 benjamin hessler born june 14, 1969 is an american writer and journalist. Peter hessler journalist and author of strange stones. What hessler describes in his book is what all foreigners notice when they come to china and observe the locals, i guess. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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. Pdf hardship and healing through the lens of cultural. New yorker writer is surprised by byline in chinese. Two years on the yangtze 2001 is a kiriyama prizewinning book about his experiences in two years as a peace. The book won the kiriyama prize, which is awarded for works about the pacific rim and south asia. 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.
Two years on the yangtze by peter hessler harpercollins, 2001. River town is a uniquely descriptive account of life in the chinese countryside during a time of change and evolution. Peter benjamin hessler is an american writer and journalist. First, i read peter hesslers articles in the new yorker. He is the magazines correspondent in the peoples republic of china, where he has lived since 1996. 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. Peter hessler is a staff writer at the new yorker, where he served as beijing correspondent from 20002007 and cairo correspondent from 20112016.
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. In the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley, lies the remote town of fuling. I had the privilege to interview hessler for my literary journal terracotta typewriter now defunct in 2010 copy is still available on issuu. 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. This book name is river town by peter hessler talk about the two years of peter came to china to teach. Simon winchester, author of the professor and the madman.
1148 180 549 1182 580 1460 720 1124 392 1042 686 1483 1538 941 297 146 1361 662 1273 1152 277 339 1280 948 1178 1325 1021 674 160 1067 1012 366 892 1103 597 676 301 771