Fiction is philosophy: interview with Lulu Wang

Abstract

Lulu Wang (Beijing, 1960) studied English language and literature at Beijing University, became a teacher at the same university after graduation, and moved to the Netherlands in 1986, where she taught Chinese at the Hogeschool van Maastricht. She spoke Dutch within a year and began to write it soon after, first short stories and then a novel, which took seven years to complete. The Lily Theater (Het lelietheater, 1997) - based on her experience growing up during the Cultural Revolution - was translated and published in over 20 countries. Then came Letter to My Readers (Brief aan mijn lezers, 1998), The Tender Child (Het tedere kind, 1999), The White Feast (Het witte feest, 2000), The Lilac Dream (Seringendroom, 2001), The Red Feast (Het rode feest, 2002), and Intoxicated (Bedwelmd, 2004), which explores culture clash through a love story about a Dutch economist and a young Chinese woman. Lulu Wang lives and works in Den Haag (http://www.luluwang.nl/). Her work has sold over a million copies worldwide.