By Jimmy QI
Format: Paperback, 180 pages. Category: Fiction. ISBN 9781647759247
COMING 15 OCTOBER 2024
Jimmy Qi takes readers on a captivating journey into the author’s experiences during China’s opening-up era in the 1990s. At a time of populist backlash against globalism, the newly translated novel fondly evokes a more optimistic moment in China-western relations.
Qi skillfully weaves humor and charm to paint a vivid picture of the challenges faced by a generation of pioneering overseas Chinese through the compelling story of his alter-ego, Jimmy. From facing casual racism in Montreal to searching for his identity in Beijing, the book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human experience in a globalizing world.
The absurdist theatre of a Canadian trading company office sparked a Chinese humorist’s writing career – South China Morning Post
Qi’s worldly wit and polished wordplay has drawn comparisons to 20th-century giants such as Qian Zhonghsu. The title of this new novel alludes to Qian’s 1930s classic “Besieged Fortress,” which explored the pretensions of overseas educated Chinese in an earlier era.
The first part of the book is set in Montreal, where Jimmy becomes a star salesman for a Canadian trading house, but is forced to suffer from the prejudice of his bosses. Seeking refuge, he later becomes a teacher at a Beijing university, embracing the ironies of being a ‘sea turtle’, slang for ‘returned overseas Chinese’.
Time Out described Qi’s writing as “laugh-out loud farce” but recognised that “beneath the humour serious issues simmer”.
Return to the Besieged Fortress by Jimmy Qi is published on October 15 through Make-do Publishing.