Mara Hvistendahl: US author explores many topics in China
Print Edition
MARA Hvistendahl, American author and journalist, has been a longtime resident in China reporting everything from archaeology to sex. Her first book, “Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men” was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest work, “And the City Swallowed Them,” focuses on China’s “floating population.” Hvistendahl’s works are available on www.decastories.com.
What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
“Super Sad True Love Story” by Gary Shteyngart. A dystrophic novel about the decline of America and the rise of China; it’s also a hilarious work of cultural criticism.
What books do you find yourself returning to again and again?
“River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West” by Rebecca Solnit. This is a masterful book. Solnit blends historical analysis and cultural criticism with the life story of one man, Eadweard Muybridge, who pioneered stop-motion photography. In many ways it’s a book about rapid industrialization and development, and the effect this had on Western culture in the 19th century. It’s very relevant to modern-day China.
Who is your favorite novelist of all time?
Graham Greene. I read every book of his I could find after I moved to China. His novels deal with an early version of expat life.
What kinds of stories are you drawn to? And how would you describe the kinds of books you steer clear off?
I’m drawn to a very wide variety of books — nonfiction, fiction, science, crime, sci-fi. Perhaps the only genre I don’t read much is romance. I’ve tried all kinds of books; when the narrative loses me, or when a nonfiction writer stretches my credulity with facts that seem incomplete, I stop reading. There are too many good books out there to insist on reading bad ones to the end.
What kind of reader were you as a child?
I read voraciously. I liked some fantasy books, like a lot of children, but beyond that I didn’t really have a specific interest or passion. I read whatever presented itself. Often that meant books that teachers suggested, or that my parents had on their bookshelves. I would have probably found different authors if I grew up today, with Internet access.
Which novels have had the most impact on you as a writer?
It really depends on what I’m reading. For “And The City Swallowed Them,” I read a lot of crime books (and watched films and documentaries). When I was writing “Unnatural Selection,” I looked at a lot at big-idea books like “The Tipping Point” to figure out how they were structured, and what I liked and didn’t like about those approaches.
What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet?
“Ulysses.” I tried to read it in college but never got through it. My husband claims to have read it, so apparently it’s possible.
What are you most eagerly anticipating in 2014?
I just started a writers’ cooperative called Deca with eight other nonfiction writers. We’re marketing our works directly to readers. I’m excited to see what happens; so far the response has been great.
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