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R. F. Kuang

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R. F. Kuang
Born (1996-05-29) May 29, 1996 (age 28)
Guangzhou, China
OccupationFiction writer
LanguageEnglish
EducationGeorgetown University (BA)
Magdalene College, Cambridge (MPhil)
University College, Oxford (MSc)
Yale University
Years active2018–present
Notable awards
Website
rfkuang.com Edit this at Wikidata
R. F. Kuang
Traditional Chinese匡靈秀
Simplified Chinese匡灵秀
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinkuāng líng xiù

Rebecca F. Kuang (born May 29, 1996)[1] is an American fantasy novelist.[2] Her first novel, The Poppy War, was released in 2018, followed by the sequels The Dragon Republic in 2019[3] and The Burning God in 2020. Kuang released a stand-alone novel, Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, in 2022. Kuang holds graduate degrees in Sinology from Magdalene College, Cambridge and from University College, Oxford, and is currently studying at Yale University.[2][4][5][6]

Kuang has received many accolades as an author. Babel debuted at the first spot on The New York Times Best Seller list, and won Blackwell's Books of the Year for Fiction in 2022 and the 2022 Nebula Award for Best Novel. In addition Kuang has won the Compton Crook Award,[7] the Crawford Award,[8] and the 2020 Astounding Award for Best New Writer,[9] along with being a finalist for the Nebula,[10] Locus,[11] World Fantasy,[12] The Kitschies,[13] and British Fantasy[14] awards for her first novel The Poppy War.

Early life and education

Kuang immigrated to the United States from Guangzhou, China, with her family when she was four years old.[15][16] Her father grew up in Leiyang, in Hunan province, and her mother grew up on Hainan province.[17] Her maternal grandfather fought for Chiang Kai-shek.[17] Her father's family experienced the Japanese occupation of Hunan.[17][18]

Kuang grew up in Dallas, Texas and graduated from Greenhill School in 2013.[19] She attended Georgetown University, majoring in history,[20] attracted by the college's well-known debating team after winning the Tournament of Champions.[15] While in college, Kuang was 19 when she began writing Poppy War during a gap year in China, where she worked as a debate coach; the book was published when she was 22.[15][4] Kuang graduated from the Odyssey Writing Workshop in 2016 and attended the CSSF Novel Writing Workshop in 2017.[16] She graduated from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service in June 2018. She spent the summer after graduation coaching a debate camp in Colorado.[17][15][4]

Kuang attended Magdalene College, Cambridge as a recipient of a 2018 Marshall Scholarship, where she earned a Master of Philosophy in Chinese studies.[2][4][21] The following academic year, she studied at University College, Oxford and received an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies.[21] Kuang returned to the United States in the fall of 2020 to pursue a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.[5]

Literary works

Her debut novel The Poppy War, a Chinese military fantasy, was published by Harper Voyager in 2018 and is the first book in the Poppy War trilogy.[22] The Poppy War has received mainly favorable reviews, with Publishers Weekly calling it "a strong and dramatic launch to Kuang's career".[23] In October 2020, her first two books in the Poppy Wars trilogy were included in Time Magazine's The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time (The Burning God was not available when the article was published).[24][25] In December 2020, Starlight Media, the U.S. film subsidiary of China-based Starlight Culture Entertainment Group, optioned the rights to adapt Kuang's Poppy Wars trilogy for television.[26]

In 2020, she wrote a short story in the Star Wars universe called "Against All Odds" about a Rebel Alliance defender on the ice planet Hoth named Dak Ralter. It was published in the anthology From a Certain Point of View: 40 Stories celebrating 40 years of The Empire Strikes Back.[27]

Poppy War trilogy

Peter Luo's Starlight Media and SA Inc is set to adapt The Poppy War trilogy for television.[28]

The Poppy War

Main article: The Poppy War

The Poppy War, a grimdark fantasy, draws its plot and politics from mid-20th-century China,[29][30][31] with the conflict in the novel based on the Second Sino-Japanese War, and an atmosphere inspired by the Song dynasty.[32] The Poppy War was nominated for the 2019 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.[33]

The Dragon Republic

Main article: The Dragon Republic

Released in 2019, The Dragon Republic is the sequel to The Poppy War. The Nikan Empire begins to fall apart due to infighting and the Hesperians return. The reviewer for Fantasy Book Review wrote, "Kuang excels at wreaking emotional havoc while delivering a powerful meditation on war and survival."[34] Publishers Weekly said that "Kuang brings brilliance to this invigorating and complex military fantasy sequel to The Poppy War."[35]

The Burning God

Main article: The Burning God

Released in 2020, The Burning God is the sequel to The Dragon Republic and the conclusion to the Poppy Wars series. Rin fights the forces that have torn her country apart into a civil war. A reviewer for The Fantasy Hive wrote, "Rebecca Kuang's conclusion to her debut trilogy, The Poppy War, is testament to her growth as a writer; not only is it a fitting close to an ambitious series."[36] The reviewer for Publishers Weekly said that "[t]he result is a satisfying if not happy end to the series."[37]

Babel

Main article: Babel, or the Necessity of Violence

In May 2021, Kuang announced the August 2022 release of her fourth novel, Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution, by Harper Voyager. Babel is set in 1830s England.[38][39] In the second week of September 2022, Babel debuted at the top spot on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction,[40] but dropped to the ninth spot the following week[41] before disappearing from the list by the end of the month.[42]

Yellowface

Main article: Yellowface (novel)

In October 2021, Kuang announced that her fifth novel, Yellowface, would be published in 2023.[43] Publisher William Morrow and Company stated in a press release that Yellowface follows "a white author who steals an unpublished manuscript, written by a more successful Asian American novelist who died in a freak accident, and publishes it as her own".[44] The title of the novel, Yellowface, refers to the film industry practice of yellowface, in which white actors are used to portray Asian characters, analogously to blackface, in which white actors use makeup to portray black or African characters. This book is Kuang's first foray into the literary fiction genre. Writing in the "Acknowledgement" section of the book, Kuang considers her book a "horror story about loneliness in a fiercely competitive industry."[45]

In the last week of May 2023, Yellowface debuted at the eighth spot on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction.[46] In the first week of June 2023, Yellowface debuted at the fifth spot on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction.[47] The reviewer for NPR called the book "a well-executed, gripping, fast-paced novel about the nuances of the publishing world when an author is desperate enough to do anything for success."[48] Writing for the New York Times, award-winning author Amal El-Mohtar wrote that the novel is "a breezy and propulsive read, a satirical literary thriller that’s enjoyable and uncomfortable in equal measure."[49]

Katabasis

In February 2023, Kuang reported that while working on her doctoral degree at Yale, she is also working on her sixth novel, a fantasy about two magical PhD students as they travel to Hell "to rescue the soul of their advisers so that they can write their job recommendation letters".[50] In an interview with The Guardian, Kuang calls the project "nonsense literature".[51]

Awards and honors

In 2018, Barnes & Noble included The Poppy War on their list of Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2018.[52]

In 2022, Amazon,[53] Kirkus Reviews,[54] NPR,[55] and The Washington Post[56] named Babel, or the Necessity of Violence one of the best science fiction and fantasy books of the year. Barnes & Noble named it one of the top ten books of the year, regardless of genre.[57]

In 2023, Kuang made the Time 100 list.[58]

Awards for Kuang's writing
Year Award Title Result Ref.
2018 BookNest Fantasy Award for Best Debut Novel The Poppy War Finalist [59]
Goodreads Choice Award for Debut Author Nominee [60]
Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy Nominee [60]
Kitschies for The Golden Tentacle (Debut) Finalist [13]
Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel Finalist [12]
Nebula Award for Best Novel Finalist [61][10]
World Fantasy Award—Novel Finalist [62][12]
2019 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer Self Finalist [9]
Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy The Dragon Republic Nominee [63]
American Library Association's Reading List for Fantasy Shortlist [64]
BooktubeSFF Award for Debut Novel Winner [65]
Crawford Award Winner [8][66]
Compton Crook Award Winner [7]
Locus Award for First Novel Finalist [11]
Sydney J. Bounds Award Finalist [14][67]
2020 Astounding Award for Best New Writer Self Winner [68]
Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy The Burning God Nominee [69]
Ignyte Award for Best Novel — Adult The Dragon Republic Finalist [70]
2021 Hugo Award for Best Series The Poppy War Finalist [71]
2022 Blackwell's Books of the Year for Fiction Babel, or the Necessity of Violence Winner [72]
Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy Nominee [73]
Waterstones Book of the Year Shortlist [74]
Nebula Award for Best Novel Winner [75]
2023 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel Babel, or the Necessity of Violence Winner [76]

Bibliography

Poppy War series

  • The Poppy War (May 2018), ISBN 978-0062662569
  • The Dragon Republic (August 2019), ISBN 978-0062662637
  • The Burning God (November 2020), ISBN 978-0062662620

Other novels

Short stories

Non-fiction

Academic lectures and symposia

Kuang was originally scheduled to deliver the 8th annual J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford in 2020,[80] but it was postponed two years due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic. In the interim, she participated in a virtual seminar.[81] Kuang delivered the Tolkien Lecture in person on May 23, 2022.[82]

References

  1. ^ "R.F. Kuang: Distortions". Locus. July 15, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Linton, Rachel (December 10, 2017). "Georgetown Author R.F. Kuang Speaks on Upcoming Novel 'The Poppy War'". The Hoya. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Liptak, Andrew (August 1, 2019). "10 new science fiction and fantasy novels to check out this August". The Verge. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d "First Novel in Trilogy by Recent Grad Draws on Georgetown Studies". Georgetown University. July 17, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Chen, Ana (2020). "Interview with Rebecca Kuang". It's Real Magazine.
  6. ^ Yu, Alan (November 24, 2020). "In The Poppy War Series, R.F. Kuang Asks: 'What If Mao Was A Teenage Girl?'". NPR.
  7. ^ a b "Kuang Wins Compton Crook Award". Locus Online. April 15, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Kuang Wins Crawford Award". Locus. February 1, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "2019 Hugo and Campbell Awards Finalists". Locus Online. April 2, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "R.F. Kuang". Nebula Awards. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "2019 Locus Awards Finalists". Locus Online. May 7, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c Miyazaki, Hayao; Zipes, Jack. "World Fantasy Awards 2019". World Fantasy Convention. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "2018 Kitschies Shortlists". Locus Online. March 5, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "British Fantasy Awards 2019". The British Fantasy Society. July 23, 2019. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d Randall, Kayla (July 20, 1018). "How a Georgetown Student Published Her Epic Fantasy Debut—Before She Turned 22". Washington City Paper. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  16. ^ a b "R. F. Kuang". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  17. ^ a b c d Kidd, James (July 25, 2018). "China's bloody history and Game of Thrones-style fantasy unite in author R.F. Kuang's debut novel". South China Morning Post. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  18. ^ Junzhou, Qiu; Shilong, Yang (June 7, 2018). "Feature: Young Chinese American writer tells forgotten WWII history in fantasy setting". Xinhua. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  19. ^ "Alumna Rebecca Kuang '13 Awarded 2018 Marshall Scholarship". Greenhill School. September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  20. ^ "R.F. Kuang, Grimdark's Darkest Daughter, THE POPPY WAR. Ask me anything!". May 3, 2018.
  21. ^ a b "About". Rebecca F. Kuang. August 4, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  22. ^ Duspiva, Alyssa. "R.F. Kuang Stuns With Her Debut Fantasy Novel, The Poppy War". RT Book Reviews. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  23. ^ Kuang, R. F. (March 5, 2018). "Fiction Book Review: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Harper Voyager, $26.99 (544p)". Publishers Weekly. ISBN 978-0-06-266256-9. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  24. ^ "The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang". Time. October 15, 2020.
  25. ^ "The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang". Time. October 15, 2020.
  26. ^ White, Peter (December 8, 2020). "Starlight Media Developing TV Adaptation Of Rebecca F. Kuang's Fantasy Books Including 'The Poppy War'". Deadline Hollywood.
  27. ^ ""The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View" Star Wars Anthology Book Announced". Laughing Place. October 6, 2020.
  28. ^ "TV: The Poppy War". Shelf Awareness. December 14, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Cunningham, Joel (January 11, 2018). "Cover Story: R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War, an Epic Debut Inspired by 20th Century China". The B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  30. ^ McPherson, Peter (May 1, 2018). "15 Best New Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books: May 2018". Nerd Much?. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  31. ^ Mason, Everdeen (May 2, 2018). "Best science fiction and fantasy books out this month (brief book review)". Washington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  32. ^ Pickens, Chris (May 1, 2018). "R.F. Kuang - Interview". BookPage. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  33. ^ "World Fantasy Awards 2019". World Fantasy Convention. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  34. ^ Weller, Adam. "The Dragon Republic by R F Kuang (The Poppy War #2)". Fantasy Book Review.
  35. ^ "Fiction Book Review: The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang. Harper Voyager, $26.99 (672p)". Publishers Weekly. May 22, 2019.
  36. ^ Magnus, Filip (December 10, 2020). "The Burning God by R. F. Kuang—Book Review". The Fantasy Hive.
  37. ^ "Fiction Book Review: The Burning God by R.F. Kuang. Harper Voyager, $26.99 (640p)". Publishers Weekly. August 4, 2020.
  38. ^ Liptak, Andrew (May 6, 2021). "Poppy War Author R.F. Kuang Announces New Novel, Babel". Tor.com.
  39. ^ Kuang, Rebecca (May 5, 2021). "Announcing BABEL, out August 2022". R.F. Kuang Author Newsletter.
  40. ^ "Hardcover Fiction". New York Times. September 11, 2022.
  41. ^ "Hardcover Fiction". New York Times. September 18, 2022.
  42. ^ "Hardcover Fiction". New York Times. September 25, 2022.
  43. ^ Rebecca F. Kuang [@kuangrf] (October 16, 2021). "hiii. i wrote another book. 2023" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 13, 2022 – via Twitter.
  44. ^ Deahl, Rachel. "Book Deals: Week of October 18, 2021". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  45. ^ Rastogi, Vartika (May 29, 2023). "Racism, scandal, and the rat race of publishing: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang". The Cardiff Review.
  46. ^ "Bestsellers List Sunday, May 28". Los Angeles Times. May 24, 2023.
  47. ^ "Hardcover Fiction". New York Times. June 4, 2023.
  48. ^ Williams, Keishel (May 15, 2023). "'Yellowface' takes white privilege to a sinister level". NPR.
  49. ^ El-Mohtar, Amal (May 16, 2023). "Her Novel Became a Best Seller. The Trouble: She Didn't Write It". New York Times.
  50. ^ Fraser, Katie (February 24, 2023). "Rebecca Kuang in conversation about her first literary novel taking aim at the publishing industry". The Bookseller.
  51. ^ Liu, Rebecca (May 20, 2023). "Rebecca F Kuang: 'Who has the right to tell a story? It's the wrong question to ask'". The Guardian.
  52. ^ "B&N Favorite SFF Books of 2018". Locus Online. November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  53. ^ "Amazon Best Books of 2022". Locus Online. November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  54. ^ "Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2022". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  55. ^ "NPR's Best Books of 2022". Locus Online. November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  56. ^ "The Washington Post's Best SFF of 2022". Locus Online. November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  57. ^ locusmag (October 11, 2022). "Barnes & Noble Best Books of the Year 2022". Locus Online. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  58. ^ https://time.com/collection/time100-next-2023/6308472/r-f-kuang/
  59. ^ "2018 BookNest Fantasy Awards Shortlist". Locus Online. October 16, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  60. ^ a b "The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)". Goodreads. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  61. ^ "2018 Nebula Awards Ballot". Locus Online. February 20, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  62. ^ "2019 World Fantasy Awards Finalists". Locus Online. July 25, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  63. ^ "The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, #2)". Goodreads. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  64. ^ Moore, Ninah (January 27, 2019). "2019 Reading List Winners Announced". American Library Association. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  65. ^ "BooktubeSFF Awards Winners". Locus Online. July 17, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  66. ^ "IAFA Awards Winners". Locus Online. March 18, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  67. ^ "2019 British Fantasy Awards Shortlist". Locus Online. July 23, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  68. ^ "2020 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Winners". Locus Online. August 1, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  69. ^ "The Burning God". Goodreads. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  70. ^ "Ignyte Awards Winners". Locus Online. October 18, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  71. ^ "2021 Hugo, Astounding, and Lodestar Awards Finalists". Locus Online. April 13, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  72. ^ "Awards: Arthur C. Clarke Winner; Blackwell's Books of the Year". Shelf Awareness. October 27, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  73. ^ "Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence". Goodreads. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  74. ^ "Waterstones Book of the Year 2022 Shortlist". Locus Online. October 27, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  75. ^ Templeton, Molly (May 15, 2023). "Here Are the Winners of the 2022 Nebula Awards!". Tor.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  76. ^ "2023 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  77. ^ "Babel (publisher page)". HarperCollins.
  78. ^ "Yellowface (publisher page)". HarperCollins.
  79. ^ "How to Talk to Ghosts". Uncanny Magazine. No. 21. March 6, 2018.
  80. ^ "Rebecca F. Kuang to deliver the Eighth Tolkien Lecture at Pembroke". Pembroke College. February 29, 2020.
  81. ^ "Digital Tolkien Symposium attracts 1,500 participants". Pembroke College. May 26, 2020.
  82. ^ "Tolkien Lecture 2022". Pembroke College. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
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