Mystery Chinese author of Under The Hawthorn Tree living in the US

By Graham Smith

Last updated at 3:52 PM on 9th January 2012

A novel about the Chinese Cultural Revolution that was written by an anonymous author living in the U.S. has become an international publishing phenomenon.

Under The Hawthorn Tree began life as an online blog, before its writer 'Ai Mi' turned it into a book that has gone on to sell more than a million copies in China alone.

Its stock rose still further when it was adapted into a 2010 film directed by Zhang Yimou, of House Of The Flying Daggers fame.

Sensation: Under The Hawthorn Tree began life as an online blog, before its writer 'Ai Mi' turned it into a book that has gone on to sell more than a million copies in China alone. It was adapted into a 2010 film (pictured)

But its reach has now truly extended worldwide after it was bought by publishers in 15 countries. It is released in Britain later this month.

All that is known about Ai Mi is that she lives in Florida after having travelled there to study and is thought to be in her fifties or sixties.

The novel's realistic and detailed account of the Cultural Revolution - or The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution - has led many readers to assume Ai Mi is of the generation that experienced that tumultuous decade from 1966 to 1976 first-hand.

Mystery: The anonymous writer's novel is released in Britain this month

Under The Hawthorn Tree tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a general during the final years of Mao Zedong's reign, an era when China was crippled by an attempt to force socialism on, and remove capitalist, traditional and cultural elements from, the country.

While Ai Mi's blog was on a website blocked by the Chinese authorities, a state-backed publisher released the book after it was recommended to them.

Lennie Goodings of UK publisher Virago, which is releasing the book in Britain, said she bought the rights to the book without having read it after realising its potential after she had asked a Chinese colleague to read it.

She told the Guardian: 'Her face fell and she said, "I'm not interested in the Cultural Revolution. It's my parents' generation."

'The next day she was at my shoulder, eyes brimming, saying "It's so wonderful and I cried." On the basis of that, I bought it blind.'

Zhang Yimou's film version will be released in Britain at a later date.

Source : dailymail

Related Video :

The main headlines on Al Jazeera English, featuring the latest news and reports from around the world.
Video Rating: 5 / 5