Empress shan sa book

Such is the voice of shan sas unforgettable heroine in her latest literary masterpiece, empress. In sharp contrast to her tightly focused previous novel the girl who played go, 2003, shan sa, the chinaborn french novelist and painter, has written a sweeping panoramic historical novel about the seventh centurys tang dynasty and chinas only woman emperor. Empress is the wombtotomb story of a seventh century chinese woman, heavenlight, who becomes the most powerful woman in the land. Her history has always been well known during the great china, her dramatic. Empress wu, one of chinas most controversial figures, was. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 336 pages and is available in hardcover format. Empress novel news newspapers books scholar jstor january 2015 learn how and when to remove this template.

In 2001 her novel the girl who played go won the goncourt prize. Wu zetian, or heavenlight, was the only female emperor of china. Empress npr coverage of empress by shan sa, sa shan, and adriana hunter. Early on she is already tested, as the family delegate observing. In seventhcentury china, during the great tang dynasty, a young girl from the humble wu clan entered the imperial gynaecium, which housed ten thousand concubines. Born into the wu clan, her father is a noble of some importance in the kingdom but her fortunes rise and fall over the years.

May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. A ravishing historical novel of one of chinas most controversial historic. Writing with epic assurance, poetry, and vivid historic detail, shan sa plumbs the psychological and philosophical depths of what it means to be a striving mortal in a tumultuous, powerhungry world. Heavenlight, as she is referred to in the novel, was the first and only woman to achieve the regal title of empress in chinas entire 5,000 year history. Empress is a great literary feat and a revelation for the ages. Buy featured book title empress author shan sa, sa shan, et al. Shan sa was born in beijing and had her first poems, essays, and stories published at the age of eight. See all books authored by shan sa, including empress, and the girl who played go, and more on thriftbooks. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading.

Motleys book is a little long and perhaps romantically biased, and i was really interested to see what shan sa would do with the topic. In empress, shan sa recreates the story of empress wu ze tian. Writing with epic assurance, poetry, and vivid historic detail, shan sa, author of alexander and alestria. She was married to an emperor and three of her sons were emperors. Alan cheuse selects shan sas novel in his annual roundup of. A simple girl from an inauspicious family, the humble wu clan, rises to throne of empress in the seventhcentury tang dynasty in shan sas chronicle of the rise to power of the empress wu. Empress by shan sa book cover, description, publication history. She started out in somewhat humble origins compared to. Such is the voice of shan sa s unforgettable heroine in her latest literary masterpiece, empress. Free download or read online empress pdf epub book. It won the goncourt des lyceens prize in 2001 and earned critical acclaim worldwide. Shan sa is a french author born in beijing in 1972.

Shan sa books list of books by author shan sa thriftbooks. Empress wu, one of chinas most controversial figures, was its first and only female. Shan sa, bestselling author of empress, brings the familiar figure of alexander the great to new. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Shan sa has 19 books on goodreads with 27307 ratings. Discover book depositorys huge selection of shan sa books online. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are. Empress this book is part pageant, part politics as ballet, all in all a lavish portrayal of life in early civilized china. The books section of identity theory is maintained by matthew tiffany. The girl who played go was the first of her novels to be published outside france, and won the prix goncourt des lyceens a prize voted by secondary school students. A novel and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Oct 01, 2009 motleys book is a little long and perhaps romantically biased, and i was really interested to see what shan sa would do with the topic. This article about a biographical novel of the 2000s is a stub.

She was the only woman who ever officially ruled china on her own. Critics praise it has the sweep of war and the intimacy of a love story. A ravishing historical novel of one of chinas most controversial historical figures. Sep 21, 2006 shan sa, the author of the prizewinning the girl who played go, has reached much further back in time for her latest effort, empress, a fictional biography of empress shengshen, chinas only female emperor and one of historys most legendary wicked women. Shan sa is the pseudonym of yan ni born october 26, 1972 in beijing, china, a french author and painter. In all honesty, i cannot tell just how much of my entertainment with this guide is as a result of miss sas talent as a great author, and just how most of that is as a result of the appeal of her source supplies. In seventhcentury china, during the great tang dynasty, a young girl from the humble wu clan entered the imperial gynaecium, which housed ten thousand. The girl who played go was the first of her novels to be published outside of france. The main problem with the book is that so much happens. The great man theory of history is out of fashion, and i dont know how often historical fiction, either, sets out to portray greatness whatever that is in the political sphere. Unfortunately, the text is so disorganized that i had difficulty following the story at allthis despite the fact that i know empress wus life backward and forward. Empress by shan sa wu zetian, or heavenlight, was the only female emperor of china. Alan cheuse selects shan sa s novel in his annual roundup of.

Read one of alan cheuses summer reading book picks. May 16, 2017 empress, a novel by shan sa a ravishing historical novel of one of chinas most controversial historical figures. Pdf empress book by shan sa free download 336 pages. Rivalries and alliances, loathing and attraction had been dissolved. Imperatrice is a french biographical novel written by shan sa, a french author who was born in beijing. Alexander and alestria is the imaginative tale of the dramatic love affair between alexander the great and alestria, queen of the amazons, when both are at the height of their powers. Shan sa was born on october 26, 1972 in beijing to a scholarly family. The author of empress, she is also a celebrated artist who has had prominent exhibitions in paris and new york. Imperatrice is a french biographical novel written by shan sa, a french. Empress wu, one of chinas most controversial figures, was its first and only female emperor, who emerged in the seventh century during the great tang dynasty and ushered in a golden age. Her second novel to appear in english translation was empress 2006. Michelle lovric, author of the floating book and the remedy. Shan sa, quote from empress she died a few days later, and her death buried once and for all the intrigues between the precious wife, the gracious wife, and all the imperial favorites.