書語萊鎮第一期：The Last Rose of Shanghai - 戴微娜

全国犹太图书奖决赛入围者

喧嚣俱乐部 （Bustle Club) 2021 年 12 月最受期待的小说之一

碧山俱乐部（WildChina Book Club） 2021 年最佳中国历史小说

野性杂志（Undemosticated） 2021 年最佳小说

How many novels have you published so far?

I’ve published three novels, The Last Rose of Shanghai  (2021) and the historical duology The Moon in the Palace (2016) and The Empress of Bright Moon (2016), biographical novels about the first and only female emperor Wu Zetian. 

Can you tell me about The LAST ROSE OF SHANGHAI? What is it about?

The Last Rose of Shanghai tells a forbidden love story between an upper-class Chinese nightclub owner and a penniless Jewish refugee who fled from Nazi Germany to Shanghai. It’s set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai between 1940 to 1945. The reviews have said it’s a sweeping epic that transcends race, class, tradition, religion, and war.

Why did you choose to write this historical novel? 

I was born and raised in China; at twenty four, I immigrated to the US. Before that, I lived in Shanghai for five years in my early twenties. Today, I still have fond memories of life there, biking to work, bargaining for clothes, savoring curry chicken at the night market, and some not-so-fond memories, such as being pick-pocketed on the street, fear of failing to pay for the bus fare, and being evicted by the landlord. All the excitement and annoyances of living in a metropolitan city as a young, struggling single woman living paycheck to paycheck. In Shanghai, I grew fascinated with the city’s Haipai culture, the multicultural mix, and the lasting foreign presence seen in the art deco, Gothic, Baroque architecture, and the tale that the locals tossed loaves of bread into the alleys to feed the Jewish refugees during WWII, which I still remember years later.

But I didn’t look into this history until a friend suggested I write a story of Jews in Shanghai. That was in 2018, two years after I published The Empress of Bright Moon duology, and I was ready for another project. Since I was going to host a bat mitzvah, I thought it would be a good idea to honor my family’s Jewish heritage.

As a historical novel writer, I was also aware that despite a plethora of novels about WWII published today, most books were set in Europe, and few described the war in the Pacific Theater, the plight of the Chinese people, or the atrocities committed by the Japanese, a member of the Axis powers. The truth is that WWII brought destruction on many levels and devastated many corners of the world. Amid this heartbreaking devastation, when many people’s lives hung in the balance in Shanghai, about 18,000 Jews fled Nazi Germany, landed in Shanghai, and survived the war. Few people know about this little-known piece of history, including my Jewish relatives.

What are the stories that you enjoy to writing?

Stories about extraordinary people who have done extraordinary things fascinate me! And I’m especially interested in crafting Chinese and Asian American characters. These characters might be strong, or vulnerable, but they are all unique, relatable, and flawed in some way.  I also tend to thread the historical events with the characters so readers will have a sense of the history; it’s my goal to bring the past alive in a dramatic and cathartic way.  

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It took me three years and six months to write The Last Rose of Shanghai, ten years to write the first novel, The Moon in the Palace, and two years on the sequel, The Empress of Bright Moon. So on average, I’d say it takes me approximately three years to write a novel. I wish I could speed up, but I’m a slow writer, known as a revision addict, to use the phrase my relative crowned me.

What is your next book? When will it be published? 

“Fans of sweeping, dramatic WWII epics that are rich in historical detail, such as Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls or Paullina Simons’s The Bronze Horseman will be enthralled.” —Booklist

“Weina Dai Randel’s novel deserves a place of distinction among WWII fiction.” —Historical Novel Society

“This audiobook touches on the unexplored Jewish community in Shanghai and the difficulties of engaging in cross-cultural relationships at that time.” – AudioFile

“The Last Rose of Shanghai is a powerful story of the relationship between a Shanghai heiress and a Jewish refugee, set against the backdrop of a nightclub in China on the eve of the Second World War. Weina Dai Randel skillfully shines a light on a little-known moment in history through the lens of two vividly drawn characters whose unique and unexpected relationship is one readers will never forget.” —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman with the Blue Star

“The Last Rose of Shanghai vividly depicts the clash of East and West as Jewish refugees flee Hitler’s Berlin for faraway Shanghai, where they struggle to survive amid the uneasy coexistence of Chinese magnates and Japanese invaders. Weina Dai Randel’s poignant, sweeping love story paints a vibrant portrait of a little-known slice of World War II history. Not to be missed!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code and The Huntress

“A sweeping novel that transports readers to 1940s Shanghai, The Last Rose of Shanghai is a must-read for historical fiction lovers. Filled with page-turning suspense and a poignant and unforgettable love story, Weina Dai Randel wholly immerses the reader in this richly detailed and powerfully drawn story.” —Chanel Cleeton, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author