667 Sui Sin Far (with Victoria Namkung) | My Last Book with Samantha Rose Hill

Summary

The History of Literature Podcast - Episode 667: Sui Sin Far (with Victoria Namkung) | My Last Book with Samantha Rose Hill

Release Date: January 6, 2025

---

Introduction

In episode 667 of The History of Literature Podcast, host Jack Wilson delves into the life and works of Sui Sin Far, the pioneering Chinese American writer also known as Edith Maud Eaton. The episode features insightful conversations with Victoria Namkung, a Los Angeles-based author and expert on Sui Sin Far, and Samantha Rose Hill, a renowned scholar specializing in the philosophy of Hannah Arendt.

---

Exploring Sui Sin Far: Edith Maud Eaton’s Legacy

Jack Wilson opens the episode by celebrating the podcast’s 10th anniversary before introducing Sui Sin Far, highlighting her unique heritage as half English and half Chinese. Born in England in 1865, Eaton moved to Montreal and later to various cities in the United States, where she worked as a reporter covering Asian communities. In 1898, she began publishing under the pen name Sui Sin Far, meaning "water lily" in Cantonese, to authentically represent her Chinese heritage and challenge prevalent racial stereotypes.

Key Historical Context

Victoria Namkung provides a comprehensive backdrop of the era in which Sui Sin Far wrote, emphasizing the rampant anti-Chinese sentiment in North America. She explains how laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 severely restricted Chinese immigration and citizenship, fostering widespread racism and economic exploitation of Chinese workers. Additionally, Namkung discusses the patriarchal constraints faced by women during this period, noting that Sui Sin Far also addressed sexism alongside racial discrimination in her writings.

Choosing an Authentic Identity

At [00:08:52], Namkung addresses why Edith Eaton chose to adopt a distinctly Chinese pen name rather than passing as white or using a male pseudonym. She states:

“Edith Eaton knew from an early age that the Chinese were heavily discriminated against...she went with a name that sounds incredibly Asian, incredibly Chinese. And that was her mission to humanize Chinese people.” ([08:52])

Writing with Humor and Irony

Sui Sin Far’s writing is celebrated for its use of irony and humor to critique societal injustices. Namkung highlights her ability to blend sensationalist genres like romance and adventure with sharp social commentary. A notable example is her essay "The Persecution and Oppression of Me," where she humorously yet poignantly responds to prejudiced remarks:

“One day my landlady inquired if I did not think that the reason why I was brighter than the ordinary Chinese was because I had white blood in my veins. I answered that I hadn't the slightest doubt that the reason why I was superior to a great many whites was because I had Chinese blood in my veins.” ([17:29])

Challenges and Resilience

Despite facing condescension from some editors and societal rejection, Sui Sin Far persisted in her mission to portray Chinese Americans with depth and humanity. Namkung notes that Eaton’s courageous stance often made her work controversial, but it was instrumental in laying the foundations of Asian American literature.

Rediscovery and Modern Relevance

Victoria shares her personal journey of discovering Sui Sin Far while studying at UC Santa Barbara in the late 1990s. She recounts how Eaton’s candid exploration of race and identity resonated with her own experiences as a Eurasian woman. The renewed interest in Sui Sin Far’s work has led to greater recognition and inclusion in academic syllabi, especially with the recent publication of An Immortal Selected Writings by Sui Sin Far. This collection aims to make Eaton’s work accessible to a broader audience, featuring both her well-known and lesser-known pieces.

Highlighted Passage

Victoria reads an excerpt from "Mrs. Spring Fragrance," showcasing Eaton’s elegant prose and subtle sarcasm:

“Great and honored man. Greeting from your plum blossom... I am enjoying a most agreeable visit. And American friends, as also our own, strive benevolently for the accomplishment of my pleasure... Your ever loving and obedient woman, Jade.” ([30:41])

This passage illustrates Sui Sin Far’s ability to infuse humor and critique into her narratives, making her social commentary both engaging and thought-provoking.

Impact on Modern Writers

Victoria expresses admiration for Sui Sin Far’s multifaceted approach to writing, which seamlessly intertwines personal identity, social justice, and creative storytelling. She emphasizes how Eaton’s work continues to inspire contemporary writers to explore intersectional themes and embrace diverse voices.

---

Samantha Rose Hill: Reflections on Her Last Book with Hannah Arendt

In the latter part of the episode, Samantha Rose Hill joins the conversation to discuss her perspective on choosing a "last book" to read. She reflects on the enduring influence of Hannah Arendt's philosophy, emphasizing the continuous nature of thinking and understanding the world. Her thoughtful responses underscore the importance of literature as a lifelong journey of exploration and enlightenment.

---

Conclusion

Jack Wilson wraps up the episode by highlighting the profound legacy of Sui Sin Far and her enduring relevance in today’s literary and social landscapes. He teases upcoming episodes that will explore fascinating literary figures and their unique stories, encouraging listeners to stay tuned for more enriching discussions.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Victoria Namkung [08:52]: “Edith Eaton knew from an early age that the Chinese were heavily discriminated against...she went with a name that sounds incredibly Asian, incredibly Chinese. And that was her mission to humanize Chinese people.”

• Victoria Namkung [17:29]: “One day my landlady inquired if I did not think that the reason why I was brighter than the ordinary Chinese was because I had white blood in my veins. I answered that I hadn't the slightest doubt that the reason why I was superior to a great many whites was because I had Chinese blood in my veins.”

• Victoria Namkung [28:22]: “An Immortal Book comes from the story 'The Inferior Woman,' which also features that same character, Mrs. Spring Fragrance...she wanted to write something that would last and tell truths about her characters in the world that she lived in.”

• Samantha Rose Hill [45:54]: “I think that that is absolutely right, though, when I hear the question, what would your last book be?...there can always be something else.”

---

Support and Further Information

For more details about the podcast and to support future episodes, visit historyofliterature.com or facebook.com/historyofliterature. Contributions can be made through patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. For inquiries, contact [e-mail].

---

Note: This summary captures the essence and key discussions of the episode, including significant quotes with appropriate attributions and timestamps, providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened.

Transcript

[Jack Wilson]

The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the podglomerate Network and Lit Hub Radio.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Welcome to Nadia Yada island next on Nadia Yada Island.

[Jack Wilson]

I knew I deserved so much more, so I left. I finally switched to Metro and got what I was looking for.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Get one line for only $25 a month with autopay. Just bring your phone to Metro and experience all the data you want on the largest 5G network. That's nada. Yada Yad only at Metro by T Mobile. First month is $30. Bring your number and ID offer not available if with T Mobile or with Metro in the past 180 days as.

[Samantha Rose Hill]

Humans, we're naturally driven by the search for better. But when it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search at all. Don't search match with Indeed. When I was looking to hire someone, it was so slow and overwhelming. I wish I had used Indeed. If you need to hire, you need Indeed. Indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global month visitors, according to Indeed Data, and a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast. Ditch the busywork. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening and messaging so you can connect with candidates faster. And Indeed doesn't just help you hire faster. 93% of employers agree Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites, according to a recent Indeed survey. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com podcast. That's Indeed.com podcast. Terms and conditions apply.

[Jack Wilson]

Hello. Today in the podcast, we explore the works of a woman who wrote about Chinese Americans under the pen name Sui Sin Far. And we meet the author and editor who was inspired by Sui Sin Far in her own creative pursuits. Victoria Nam Kung and Sui Sin Far today on the History of Literature.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Foreign.

[Jack Wilson]

Here we go. Welcome to the podcast. It is a new year. We turned 10 this year on the History of Literature podcast. It's hard to believe, isn't it? 10 years? I hope we have 10 more. I know what you're saying. 10? Only 10? Why not a hundred, Jack? Why not a thousand? Well, let's start with the 10 and see how that goes. It will go well. If today's guest is any indication, Victoria Nam Kung was a delightful guest. We'll have that in a moment, that conversation. But first, a bit of background on Sui Sinfar. She was born in England in 1865. Born as Edith Maud Eaton. Her background is fairly characterized, I think, as extraordinary. Her father was an English merchant who traveled to China on business, which is where he met Edith's mother, who was a formerly enslaved tightrope dancer and human target of a knife throwing act, who had toured the world with an acrobatic troupe. You know, one of those ho hum backgrounds. The pair met in Shanghai, relocated back to England, had 14 children together. Edith was the oldest and relocated to Montreal. Edith grew up mostly in Montreal and after she finished school she became a reporter covering the growing Chinese community. She then moved to the United States, bounced around from city to city, still on the same beat, the Asian communities on the east and west coasts. In 1898 she began publishing under the pen name Sui Sin Far, which translates into water lily in Cantonese. Let's remember how things were in North America during these years. At the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th, Chinese men had arrived in California during the gold rush of the 1850s, they had helped build the transcontinental railroad. In the 1860s they became scapegoats. In the 1870s, anti Chinese sentiment turned especially ugly and violent. A racist law, the Chinese Exclusion act of 1882, halted Chinese immigration and banned Chinese Americans from becoming citizens. And let's remember how things were for women at this time. Women weren't guaranteed the right to vote until 1920. In some states women couldn't own property and in most if not all states, a woman's legal status was subordinate to her husband's. Women and girls struggled to receive education or to gain employment on an equal footing with men. Edith Maud Eaton was sympathetic to Chinese communities and the Chinese men who had arrived in America to work and who were barred from marrying white women thanks to anti miscegenation laws. So the numbers were against them. Many more Chinese men than women had come to the land of opportunity seeking their fortune. But in spite of Edith Maud Eaton's sympathy for them, she was not blind to the Chinese patriarchal tendencies either. It's possible to be a victim of injustice in one sense, but to be a perpetrator of injustice in another. Edith Maud Eaton, writing as Suisin Farr, was clear eyed in her assessment of these communities. And she did so with a light touch, using irony and humor in her essays and short stories to make her points. Half white, half Chinese, half Canadian, half American, half fiction writer, half journalist. If you're doing the math, you realize I've gotten up to three full people with all those halves and even that might not be enough to fully contain, to fully express who Hsui Sin Far really was. So let's bring out the expert, Victoria Nam Kung, to hear more about this astonishing and important writer, Sway Sin Farah. And then let's hear from Samantha Rose Hill, our expert in Hannah Arendt, who will stop by to discuss her choice for the last book that she will ever read. All that starts right after this.

[Narrator]

Okay. Joining me now is Victoria Nam Kung, a Los Angeles based author, journalist and speaker whose works include the novels the Things We Tell Ourselves and these Violent Delights. She's here today to discuss an immortal book, selected writings by Sui Sinfar. Victoria Nam Kung. Welcome to the history of literature.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Narrator]

So let's just start with this great author we have here, who was Sui Sinfar.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

So Sui Sin Far is actually the pen name of an author named Edith Maud Eaton, who is considered the mother of Asian American literature. She's credited as publishing what was known as the first book by an author of Chinese descent in North America. And that book is the 1912 story collection, this is Spring Fragrance. She has a really fascinating backstory. She's the first daughter and second child in a family of 14 children. And her mother was from Shanghai originally, and her father was from England. And the family moved back and forth between England and the US and they eventually settled in Montreal, Canada. And Edith and a lot of her older siblings had to leave school early to help support this large family. So she worked as a stenographer and she ended up working as a reporter in Jamaica and the United States. States. And then she started publishing fiction in her early 20s.

[Narrator]

Right. So we're kind of used to women in the history of literature who have written under a man's name. And we might think that a Eurasian might try to pass as European in order to be taken more seriously by her peers. But here we have an example of someone who did the opposite, writing as Sui Sin Far instead of using the given name of Edith Maud Eaton. Do we know why she did that?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yes. You know, I think Edith Eaton knew from an early age that the Chinese were heavily discriminated against in her native Canada and also in the US And I think it was really like you said, her attempt to claim that Chinese identity. And so rather than just passing as a white author or using a man's name, she went with a name that sounds incredibly Asian, incredibly Chinese. And that was her mission to humanize Chinese people. So I guess it also gave her that credibility that she would be writing as a Chinese woman herself.

[Narrator]

And Sui Sin Far, I understand, was a Cantonese flower.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yes. It's believed that it was a childhood Nickname. There's a few different translations I've seen. Sacred Lily, Narcissus, Flower, Sacrament. So I think she was kind of maybe perhaps playing on the exotification of Chinese at the time. So the name does sound quite exotic, especially for that era.

[Narrator]

Yeah. Now she seems to have had this idea of being a writer. I mean, she did have artistic parents. Her father was a visual artist. Her mother was actually, I read in your book, a formerly enslaved tightrope dancer.

[Jack Wilson]

And human target of a knife throwing.

[Narrator]

Act who had toured the world with an acrobatic troupe.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yes. Her mother needs her own book.

[Narrator]

And she had a sister who was a writer as well. But she told us at one point that she was 8 years old and living in Montreal when she conceived the ambition to write a book about the half Chinese.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

That's right, that's right. You know, I really relate to her on that level because I, you know, I don't think I was as young as 8, but maybe around 11, 12, knew that I also wanted to be a writer and, and write a book. And I think again, it was in reaction to the way she was treated in Canada. Also, her family was most likely the only mixed Eurasian family in the area. So, you know, she was subject to a lot of racist ponce and sort of feeling under the microscope. And so perhaps this was her attempt that she wanted to establish herself, you know, not as a voice of this community, rather than other writing about it with stereotypes and racism.

[Narrator]

Right. So she's born in 1865 and she's kind of coming of age as a writer during the great age of newspapers and periodicals. What kind of works was she writing and where was she publishing them?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yeah, so in the late 1880s she started publishing different kinds of writing articles, short stories, sketches, and sometimes this was done anonymously or under her real name, Edith Eaton. But by 1896 she was writing about the Chinese because there was this growing discrimination and even like anti miscegenation laws and different immigration policies. And so from there she really started focusing, not exclusively, but a lot of her work from that point on did focus on the lives and the struggles of the Chinese in North America. And so Suis and Far became her permanent pen name. And she wrote for a lot of publications. She wrote for the Seattle Post Intelligencer, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and then the book I mentioned, Mrs. Spring Fragrance, that was published by A.C. mcClurg, which is a small Chicago press that was known for publishing women and also multi ethnic literature. So she's very prolific. Scholars have found 270 different works in 60 different publications. And a lot of them were leading magazines of the day that, you know, publish other writers like Edith Wharton or Willa Cather.

[Narrator]

Yeah. And I suppose there may still be some out there if she was publishing anonymously.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Exactly. And there are different scholars, one of them, Mary Chapman, who has uncovered quite a bit of new work in recent years. So, yes, it's absolutely, absolutely possible more could be found. And there's also a second manuscript that has never been found. She was working on a second book and unfortunately passed away, so who knows if that will ever turn up.

[Narrator]

Right. And she was traveling around a lot. She wasn't just writing for these publications, but she was in Jamaica, San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, Los Angeles, Boston. So my guess is in all of those places she would probably kind of check in on the Chinese or the mixed race population and see how the conditions were.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yes. I mean, especially with the west coast, there are so many active Chinatowns, like the cities you mentioned, like Seattle and San Francisco and Los Angeles. So she had great inspiration to find these communities and also be accepted into these communities. And I think her Chinese heritage really helped her in that way, even though it's been said by various scholars and even when you look at a photo of her, she could have technically passed as a white woman. So perhaps certain Chinese immigrants, especially newer immigrants, may not have trusted a white woman to confide in or share stories. But I think because she had experience via being the daughter of her Chinese mother and then her own experience of racism, she felt very connected to those communities, even though they lived different lives.

[Narrator]

Right. You've touched a little bit on the historical context, but maybe we could flesh that out a little bit more. This is sort of the. The era of the Gold rush, the railroad being built and some incredibly racist laws. The Chinese Exclusion act of 1882, and just as sort of anti Chinese sentiment in speeches and cartoons and even on the floor of Congress, there was like a denouncement. I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise, but I think it's important to mention it because she's not writing in a time where everyone is embracing the diversity being brought about by immigration from China to the West Coast.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

I'm so glad you brought that up because it's a really ugly part of our history that has been repeating itself in some ways, and it's really important that people understand the context of the time she was riding in. So, as you mentioned, some Chinese first came to try their luck during the Gold rush. But a lot of Them were recruited to come to work on the Central Pacific Railroad, which was a key part of the first transcontinental railroad. And they were paid a fraction of white counterparts. So they were scapegoated, much as we've seen with different immigration grant groups over the years in the us. So it was pretty much at every level of culture. You know, definitely rubber stamped by the government and labor leaders, politicians. Once the Depression hit, it spurred all sorts of violent waves anti Chinese sentiment. There were riots, people's homes being burned down, things like that. And the racism was codified into our laws. I mean, intermarriage was banned. The federal immigration laws targeted people from China, and it really impacted people who were already here, who may have left behind their wives or children in China. And the 1882 Chinese Exclusion act you mentioned, I mean, this is such an important part of our history because it was the first significant law that restricted a group just based on their race, and it effectively blocked Chinese immigration for the next 80 years. And what sad is Canada followed the US's lead. So that also happened. So people who are of Chinese background living in Canada or the us, they were dealing with family separation, discrimination, social and economic barriers. It really echoes things we see throughout our history since then. And I think that Sweets and Far really helped show that whether you were a poor laundry worker or a wealthy merchant wife, you were impacted by this racism. And so she really wasn't afraid to call that out and then also call out some of the white folks who were purportedly helping these communities, such as missionaries.

[Narrator]

And she's very direct in her essays about the racism she encountered. I've got a quote here I wanted to read. I mean, the title itself is kind of incredible. The title is the Persecution and Oppression of Me. The name of this essay and the quote I have here is, one day my landlady inquired if I did not think that the reason why I was brighter than the ordinary Chinese was because I had white blood in my veins. I answered that I hadn't the slightest doubt that the reason why I was superior to a great many whites was because I had Chinese blood in my veins.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

I love that. I mean, that just shows her humor and her wit around feeling such a serious subject.

[Narrator]

Yeah. Now, how courageous was this at the time? Was there an audience for it or was she speaking truth to power? Did she risk anything? Did she pay a price for being this blunt?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yeah, I mean, I think that I'm not even sure her white audience was always in on the joke. You know, that's something I would love to know more about, but I think she was very brave, and she could have had a much easier life, as I mentioned, had she just passed, you know, as a white woman. But she really claimed this Chinese identity in her work and in her personal life. And despite her frankness and humor about racism, you know, she was mistreated. And even some of her own editors and supporters could be very condescending. And one example, one of her editors, Charles Fletcher Loomis, he wrote a profile about her, and he called her our little Chinese contributor. You know, I mean, she was a petite woman, but, you know, very condescending and. But then he also championed her throughout her career. But she did mention that, you know, people would reject her work because it was deemed controversial. And one editor that she had sent her story collection to said, you know, too many of the stories have to do with the mixed bloods. I think it just, yeah, was not in demand the way that this kind of work would be today. So that's what makes her even more special and impressive right now.

[Narrator]

This was also not a time, as we've seen in many other episodes of the podcast. There's such a great vein of women writers who are taking advantage of the newspapers and the periodicals need for content, but at the same time, it's not always an easy path for them, and they are often champions of women's rights. Where was Edith Eaton or Sui Sin Farr? Where did she stand on women's rights? Did she make that one a for causes as well?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Absolutely. I mean, she wrote very frankly about the way sexism impacted her life, and she also enjoyed exploring the idea of the new woman that was getting a lot of attention at that time. And, you know, she very much embodied this single, independent, outspoken new woman, even though her race and, you know, she didn't have, like, familial wealth or a formal education, so that set her apart. But she would explore how those ideas translated differently for Chinese women as compared to European American women. And one thing I really appreciate about her was she was very critical of misogyny, not just, you know, among the white US Culture, but also her native Chinese culture. She would point out that there were these patriarchal traditions, like having women eat after their husband or having Chinese men being allowed to have multiple wives. And she really felt strongly that women should be in support of each other in solidarity. It's kind of what we would call today intersectional feminism. And, you know, there's one quote I wanted to share that she wrote when she was promoting her book in The Boston Globe. She said, I formed friendships with women who braced and enlightened me, Women to whom the things of the mind and heart appealed. Women who were individuals, not merely the daughters of their parents or the wives of their husbands. Women who taught me that nationality was no bar to friendship with those whose friendship was worthwhile. And that passageway stuck with me because I just felt like that is the attitude today among many writers. But she was doing this over 100 years ago.

[Narrator]

Yeah, I was going to say that sounds like the kind of thing that you might have read someone. It would have felt kind of advanced in the 1980s or 1990s and still seems like it's something that someone might say today. And here she was way ahead of her time.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Exactly.

[Narrator]

So let's talk about her fiction a little bit. You describe it as sensationalist. What kinds of stories were these? What were they about? What are they like?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yeah, she has so many different stories, and she used a lot of popular tropes and genres like romance stories or wild adventure tales to explore some real issues. A lot of her stories that you'll see in this book play with gender or have plots that sometimes involve, like, mistaken identity or even cross dressing. And one part that is especially sensationalist are her stories that are about smugglers who help Chinese immigrants go in between the US And Canada. And that was a part of the underworld she was actually very acquainted with because her father was a known smuggler. And it's even thought that Edith may have been helping him at times. So even people who may have been patronizing about her work or thought, oh, she only published one book, so she's not that big of a deal. I mean, even critics noted how much realism and humanity was in her stories. And the passage you read earlier, she's also very sharp and funny, even in some of the sadder stories.

[Narrator]

Right now, I'm not sure when she kind of reemerged and hit the college syllabi and so on, but when did you discover Sui Sinfar? How did her work cross your path, so to speak?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yeah. So I was a student at UC Santa Barbara in the late 1990s, which is sort of known as a golden era of Asian American studies. And there was a lot of scholarship being rediscovered. And I was assigned to read this essay of hers called Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of a eurasian. It's from 1909. And what jumped out to me was the word Eurasian, because that's what I was always called growing up. My dad is Korean and my mother is from Ireland. But she's Jewish and we didn't really have biracial or mixed or multiracial. So Eurasian was sort of the only word I knew. So of course I was desperate to read this essay, even though I'm thinking, you know, 1909, oh my gosh, I'm not going to relate to this, but I fully related to it. I still relate to it. She writes very candidly about racism that she experienced along with her siblings. And also this feeling of being gazed upon by strangers or being called over by people to be inspected. Like that's something I totally related to because, I mean, even as a little girl, like sometimes like a mixed couple would approach me and kind of study my face, like to see what their child could look like. And it's a really strange feeling, especially when you're so young and you can't quite explain what that is. And so as I read her, I was probably a 19 or 20 year old, you know, young journalist and aspiring novelist myself. And so I felt very empowered by reading her words and I was very eager to read more.

[Narrator]

Yeah, right. That is something. I mean, there are so many things that changed between 1909 and the 1990s, but that idea of, you know, there's something so elemental about it that people would look at a person almost like a product and say, well, what color eyes did you end up with? And how dark is your hair? And oh, isn't this interesting? The shade of the skin and that kind of thing. You could imagine an identical experience happening 500 years ago or yesterday.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yes, exactly. I mean, people fortunately are a little more clued in that it's not appropriate today. But I do still have experiences like that. And it doesn't just happen among non Asians. I mean, Asian people also do this to me. So it's something I just immediately had a bond with her work over.

[Jack Wilson]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

And then what did you do after that? Did you immediately. Were the works available for you to read? Or has this been sort of a decades long process of getting to know Suisfar?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

I was able, luckily in the 1990s, her work was recovered by some different scholars. And so I was able to get my hands on a copy of Mrs. Spring Fragrance and I was able to read that short story collection, but I didn't actively study her until a bit later. And then I would say in these last five years there's really been a renewed interest in her. And you can see that her work is being assigned on a lot more course syllabuses. But what I think is Special about the collection we have here is that it can really appeal to a broader audience. It doesn't just have to be an academic audience, because previously I would say, like in the 90s and 2000s, it was her work was primarily being read in classes.

[Narrator]

Okay, let's take a quick break and come back with more from Victoria Namkong.

[Jack Wilson]

If you need three new reasons to.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Love Jackraps at Jack in the Box, even more, here they are. Chicken fajita, chicken Caesar, and delicious starting at $3.

[Jack Wilson]

Coincidentally, those are the same three reasons.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

You should come to Jack in the.

[Jack Wilson]

Box right now at Jack, every bite's a big deal.

[Narrator]

Okay, we're back. So, Victoria, you started to tell us about An Immortal book, Selected Writings by Sui Sin Far, which is where I wanted to go next as well.

[Jack Wilson]

What will readers find in that book?

[Narrator]

What makes it more accessible to a general reader as opposed to an academic?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yeah, I think, you know, the pieces were selected by Sita to showcase Suisinfar's range and especially the feminist themes and draw in new readers. And An Immortal Book is a collection of her fiction, but it also features some of her nonfiction, including some of her well known essays and stories, but also some lesser known, more risque works that are really exciting. And what's cool about this book is it's free online in epub form and also Sita's web reader. There's also a print version and a reading companion to go along with the book. So even if people aren't familiar, they can really dive in. So I think it's a really special collection.

[Narrator]

Were there any highlights that jumped out at you when you saw the collection and you thought, oh, I'm glad they found this one. Or was anything new to you when you saw what they had been able to compile?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yes. I mean, all the work prior to 1909 was new to me because I had just started with that one essay that I read in college. So it was fun to get to read some of her just short fiction or short essays that I had never seen before. I also didn't know that her travels took her to Jamaica. There was just so much I learned, you know, just from the reading companion and all the research that Sita pulled together to put this collection together. So I think, yeah, I think people who are interested in race and identity, feminism, you know, female friendship, will be very drawn to this collection.

[Narrator]

I found her voice to be so engaging that, I mean, maybe it's kind of the, the style at the time, a sort of newspaper voice that kind of gets to the point. And it has humor. It doesn't try the reader's patience. Maybe that's why. Or maybe it's. I could describe it to her talent and just her humanity and her honesty and her artistry. But I was wondering if there might be a passage that you could read for us. So that we can hear what her voice sounds like.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Absolutely. So this is one of my favorite passages. It's from the short story Mrs. Spring Fragrance. And she's the charming wife of a Chinese merchant. And she traveled to San Francisco from Seattle. So she's writing a telegram home to her husband. So she writes. Great and honored man. Greeting from your plum blossom. Who is desirous of hiding herself from the son of your presence for a week of seven days more. My honorable cousin is preparing for the fifth Moon Festival. And wishes me to compound for the occasion some American fudge. For which delectable sweet made by my clumsy hands. You have sometimes shown a slight prejudice. I am enjoying a most agreeable visit. And American friends, as also our own, strive benevolently for the accomplishment of my pleasure. Mrs. Samuel Smith, an American lady known to my cousin. Asked for my accompaniment to a magniloquent lecture the other evening. The subject was America, the protector of China. It was a most exhilarating. And the effect of so much expression of benevolence Leads me to beg of you to forget to remember that the barber charges you $1 for a shave. While he humbly submits to the American man a bill of 15 cents. And murmur no more. Because your honored elder brother on a visit to this country is detained under the roof tree of this great government. Instead of your own humble roof. Console him with the reflection that he is protected under the wing of the eagle, the emblem of liberty. What is the loss of ten hundred years or ten thousand times dollar ten. Compared with the happiness of knowing oneself so securely sheltered? All of this I have learned from Mrs. Samuel Smith, who is as brilliant and great of mind as one of your own superior sex. Awaiting by the wonderful wire of the telegram message. Your gracious permission to remain for the celebration of the fifth Moon Festival. And the making of American fudge. I continue for 10,000 times 10,000 years. Your ever loving and obedient woman, Jade.

[Narrator]

So that is a great passage to choose. Because it reminds me more of someone like Mark Twain. And, you know, making points through these kind of. These humorous asides and kind of a deadpan sarcasm.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Absolutely.

[Narrator]

You know, so some readers. The way we've been describing her. And kind of her bravery. And the way she exposes things. Might think it's, you know, they're in for more of a description of conditions and the lifestyles and the working conditions and more like a factual based journalist. And instead it's kind of this. It's a very humorous take on people's foibles and their own, you know, being too puffed up with themselves and that kind of thing that she's skewering hypocrisy and. And finding an undercurrent of humor in a lot of what she's seeing.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Oh, I couldn't agree more. I mean, the sarcasm is pretty epic and I think she just uses humor and wields it in such clever ways. Like I said earlier, I'm not even sure her audience always got the joke or how they felt about this, but this excerpt I just read is pretty in your face. It would be hard to miss it.

[Narrator]

Yeah, yeah. So how successful was she in her life and what kind of life was she living? Was she able to earn a living from her writing? Were finances touch and go? Was she surrounded by family and friends? Was it a happy life, would you say?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Some accounts of her life paint her as this sad, poor woman. She was very frail because she started dealing with attacks of rheumatoid arthritis in her teenage years. But even though she dealt with chronic illness, she really did lead a very successful and ambitious life. Believed greatly in herself. You know, I mentioned earlier, she had to leave school early and work lots of jobs to help support herself and her family, and also facing racism and sexism. But she lived a very adventurous, independent life. We talk about how she worked in Jamaica and she crisscrossed the U.S. you know, multiple times and lived all throughout the west coast and also Boston. She never married. It seems like she didn't want to. And by the end of her life, she was fully supporting herself through her writing. You know, she had achieved her lifelong dream of publishing her book and she stood up for herself a lot in different tricky professional and personal situations. So, yeah, the fact that she was able to retire from stenography to just focus on her own writing, I think definitely makes her a success because many of the writers I know today still have to have two or three jobs. So it's pretty impressive she was able to fully support herself by the end.

[Narrator]

And she died at what seems like a young age, at least to me, 48 or 49.

[Jack Wilson]

How did she die?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

So, like I mentioned, she had been ill throughout her life, which she writes about in different essays, and she ultimately died at 49. From heart disease. Her headstone in Montreal is inscribed, what's the phrase? Erected by her Chinese friends in grateful memory. And it includes both her birth name, Edith Eaton, and also her pen name, Sui Sin Farr.

[Narrator]

And was she well known at that point, or was she sort of writing in almost anonymity in terms of the public's awareness of who she was?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

She was very well known. I saw that her obituary ran in various papers throughout the US and Mrs. Spring Fragrance had just come out two years prior, and it received many positive reviews. One Chicago journal called it one of the best story collections of the year. Unfortunately, it did fall out of print not long after she died, and it took many, many decades for her to be found again. But she was extremely prolific and ambitious, and she was published very widely in important magazines. So she worked really hard to get her writing out there. And we can only imag how much more her work would have continued to grow had she lived longer.

[Narrator]

Right. And then I'm guessing it was probably in the. Was it in the 70s and 80s that it started to be rediscovered?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Yes. There's a really seminal anthology called AI which is about Asian American literature, and she was mentioned in that collection. I believe that was in the mid-70s. And then her work really began to get more attention in the 90s. There was a book that came out in 1995 called Mrs. Spring Fragrance and Other Writings that was edited by Amy Ling and Annette White Parks, and White Parks also published a literary biography of her in 95. And then Mary Chapman, like as I mentioned earlier, has tripled the known body of work and helped fuel other scholarship. And she has a book called becoming fleece and far that came out in 2016 and that collects certain early fiction, journalism, and even some of her travel writing. And then in 2020, Project Gutenberg published a digital copy of Mrs. Spring Fragrance. So I think that's when you really started to see more people reading that collection. And now with this new collection from Sita, there's some newly discovered pieces, lesser known pieces, together with the more iconic stories and essays, and it's definitely aimed to be read by anyone. It does not have to be in an academic context.

[Narrator]

Right. So you've talked about kind of her as an inspiration and as a figure, and for her to be saying what she was saying when she was saying it still can serve as an inspiration. I'm wondering if as a novelist, there are any particular things you admire about her writing. Is there anything you can take from that? Are you reading her with kind of a craftsperson's eye thinking, oh, wow, I like how she pulled this off. Or this is a good way to handle this kind of situation. Or are you looking at it as. It's important to me that she was writing when she was writing and who she was and what she stood for.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

I think all of the above. You know, there's so much I have to admire about her, chiefly I would say the way she humanized Chinese people living in America in particular, she helped shift the way people thought about the Chinese. She made people realize many, many occasions, probably for the first time, that Chinese people also had hopes and dreams and loves and heartbreaks. And that was not unique to just European Americans. You know, I really admire the confidence in the way she wrote and that she wrote so many types of pieces. She covers race and identity, but also travel and fashion and other light hearted pieces. And that's something I've emulated. I feel in some ways she gave me the permission to do that because a lot of times writers are put into various containers or boxes and we are expected, especially with journalism to just be journalists or novelists to just stay novelist. I also just love her sense of humor as we've talked about, and the way she could just move between different communities, not just because of her own background, but she had lived in different countries, different parts of the US I just really admire that because that's something I deeply relate to.

[Narrator]

And she seems fearless and she seems kind of fiercely independent, that she was thinking her way through things and coming up with her own take on things. I mean, the example you gave earlier of how she wouldn't just embrace a kind of, well, the way you're doing it here is wrong and they do it better somewhere else. But she would kind of think through and say, well, how should women be treated in an ideal world? What should things look like? It doesn't mean that one culture is good just because another one is bad. It could mean that both of them have work to do.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Absolutely. I think that's such a good point. And I think that's exactly what she was trying to do.

[Narrator]

Okay, so the title, An Immortal Book. Where does that title come from?

[Victoria Nam Kung]

So an Immortal Book comes from the story the Inferior Woman, which also features that same character, Mrs. Spring Fragrance. So in that story, Mrs. Spring Fragrance decides she's going to write a book about American women inspired by neighborhood gossip. And she says the American people were so interesting and mysterious. And I thought that's such a funny play on how white Americans exotified the Chinese and other groups at the Time. And so she, Mrs. Spring Fragrance repeatedly proclaims, you know, she wants to write an immortal book. And I think you can read that as coming directly from Edith Eaton herself, Rosalie Sinsbar. She was so ambitious, and she wanted to write something that would last and tell truths about her characters in the world that she lived in. And Eaton did not have a lot of formal education, as we discussed, and she definitely was not in a position of privilege. So I think all of this fits very well with C to Press Mission because they want to elevate women's writing from the past and uncover work people aren't familiar with. And I think that's all helping to make it immortal and accessible to all different kinds of readers.

[Narrator]

I guess that's the thing about immortality, is you can never know whether it's achieved. But we can say, so far, so good that here we are over 100 years later, and the work is still speaking to people today.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

I think she would be so delighted to know that we're discussing her work all these years later. I think she would also be deeply saddened to see a lot of the themes and topics that she has covered are still a problem today. And so I often think of her when I hear about things like family separation at the border. I always think, oh, she would be so upset to hear this. And so I think it's really incredible that this. That her work is living on and being discovered by a whole new audience who realize that people had these viewpoints and thoughts many, many years ago. Feminism is not something that just came around in the recent few years.

[Narrator]

Okay, well, the book is called An Immortal Selected Writings by Siwi Sin Far. Our guest today wrote a foreword for the book. Victoria Nam Kung, thank you so much for joining me on the history of literature.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Oh, it was such a pleasure, Jack. Thank you.

[Jack Wilson]

That was Victoria Nam Kong. Wow. What an interesting life that Sui Sin Far, AKA Edith Maude Eaton, lived. I think Mike and I might have to do one of her stories, maybe Mrs. Spring Fragrance. We'll try to have that for you coming up soon. Okay, next up, we wrap things up today with Samantha Rose Hill, who was another wonderful guest, inspiring for her own rise from a small town in Michigan, if I recall correctly. I think we talked about that. And we talked about how she was a library rat who wound up as an expert in philosophy and the works of Hannah Arendt in particular. After we discussed the great Hannah Arendt, I asked Samantha this special question.

[Narrator]

Our guest is Samantha Rose Hill, expert in the life and works of Hannah Arendt. Samantha this question comes from a listener who asks, what do you want your.

[Jack Wilson]

Last book to be?

[Narrator]

This will be the last book you will ever read.

[Jack Wilson]

You can either choose one that exists or describe one that has not yet been written.

[Listener]

Such an impossible question. And I don't think the last book that I ever want to read, if I were ever given such a choice, is a book that's been written yet. But it would be a book that had something to do with time and the vast expanse of the cosmos and the sea and the earth and humanity and love and nature.

[Narrator]

That maybe sounds like a book you.

[Jack Wilson]

Need to write.

[Listener]

When I'm very old.

[Jack Wilson]

God willing, when you have all the.

[Listener]

Answers, hopefully somebody else will write it before me.

[Narrator]

Well, maybe we miss our chance with Hannah Arendt.

[Jack Wilson]

Thinking was so important to her and the unending activity of thinking.

[Narrator]

I think, as you put it, that it seems like you are following her lead in wanting to continue to explore and to think about our world and to expand the realms of our thought.

[Listener]

Yes, thinking with RN over the years has nourished my desire to try to understand this world that we have made, that we are living in, and to think about what we can do now and moving into the future.

[Jack Wilson]

So maybe the book for you, the ideal book, is always one that has.

[Narrator]

Not yet been written because it represents there's still more thinking to do. We don't have a book that has all the answers. We have a process that is getting us toward truth, and it's continuous.

[Listener]

I think that that is absolutely right, though, when I hear the question, what would your last book be? I imagine myself on my deathbed with. Between my hands and the aesthetic impression of the text and the feeling that it fills me with as the very small part of this world. But in terms of. And what I would want that feeling to be and what it would create. But I certainly don't think there is, there's any way of ever writing the perfect book or the ideal book is certainly, certainly as long as you're living. Because books are, I think, inseparable from desire, which always, eventually, inevitably leads to desire. And so there can always be something else. But perhaps there would be something of a return if it were to exist. To go back to the beginning again.

[Jack Wilson]

Maybe the book you described is the.

[Narrator]

One that we will be handed as we enter heaven.

[Listener]

I, I, I don't know. I don't know. Perhaps it's not a book at all. Perhaps it's an epic poem that we will hear as we leave this world and return.

[Narrator]

I got it. Okay. Well, Samantha Rose Hill, thank you so much for joining me on the History of Literature.

[Listener]

Thank you. It's been a pleasure.

[Jack Wilson]

Okay, that's going to do it for this episode of the history of literature. We're off to a good start, aren't we? 2025 should be a good year. I hate to over promise, but we're going to change some worlds this year.

[Narrator]

Not that I'm over promising. Maybe I should under promise.

[Jack Wilson]

How about that? We will not change a single world this year. Zero worlds will be changed. And now it's time for me to over deliver. My thanks to Victoria Nam Kung for joining me today and to Samantha Rose Hill for that cameo appearance at the end. We'll be back with a look at some librarians who turned into spies. Very good. Spies. That's on Thursday. And then a husband and wife team who succumbed to their obsession with Herman Melville, chase the man around the globe before finally harpooning his life, hauling it back into their boat and boiling it down into a book. We'll have Shakespeare's tragic art soon and Edna Ferber and Zora Neale Hurston and Marianne Moore in upcoming weeks. So please do stay tuned for those. I'm Jack Wilson. Thank you for listening and we'll see you next time.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

What role do books play in shaping who we are? Find out on the Five Books, the brand new podcast hosted by me, Tali Rosenblatt Cohen. Each week I sit down with acclaimed Jewish authors to discuss the top five books that have shaped them. Hear from notable guests like Booker Prize finalist Yael van der Vowden and literary influencer Zibby Owens as we delve deep into what it means to live as a Jewish American today.

[Samantha Rose Hill]

Join me and listen to the Five.

[Victoria Nam Kung]

Books wherever you get your podcasts.