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. In 2001 her novel the girl who played go won the goncourt prize. She started out in somewhat humble origins compared to. A novel and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Her second novel to appear in english translation is the empress 2006. May 16, 2017 empress, a novel by shan sa a ravishing historical novel of one of chinas most controversial historical figures. 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. Such is the voice of shan sas unforgettable heroine in her latest literary masterpiece, empress. See the newest novels, discuss with other book lovers, buy romance books online. Empress novel news newspapers books scholar jstor january 2015 learn how and when to remove this template. 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.
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. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Her second novel to appear in english translation was empress 2006. Rivalries and alliances, loathing and attraction had been dissolved. 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.
Early on she is already tested, as the family delegate observing. Such is the voice of shan sa s unforgettable heroine in her latest literary masterpiece, empress. 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. It won the goncourt des lyceens prize in 2001 and earned critical acclaim worldwide. The first edition of the novel was published in 2003, and was written by shan sa. 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. Pdf empress book by shan sa free download 336 pages.
Shan sa was born on october 26, 1972 in beijing to a scholarly family. The books section of identity theory is maintained by matthew tiffany. Her history has always been well known during the great china, her dramatic. 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 this book is part pageant, part politics as ballet, all in all a lavish portrayal of life in early civilized china. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 336 pages and is available in hardcover format. Critics praise it has the sweep of war and the intimacy of a love story. She was the only woman who ever officially ruled china on her own. Read one of alan cheuses summer reading book picks. A ravishing historical novel of one of chinas most controversial historic. Shan sa has 19 books on goodreads with 27307 ratings. 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. Wu zetian, or heavenlight, was the only female emperor of china. Empress wu, one of chinas most controversial figures, was.
Discover book depositorys huge selection of shan sa books online. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. 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. The author of empress, she is also a celebrated artist who has had prominent exhibitions in paris and new york. See all books authored by shan sa, including empress, and the girl who played go, and more on thriftbooks. Empress by shan sa book cover, description, publication history. A ravishing historical novel of one of chinas most controversial historical figures. The main problem with the book is that so much happens. Empress 2006 read online free book by shan sa in epub,txt. 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. Shan sa is the pseudonym of yan ni born october 26, 1972 in beijing, china, a french author and painter. Michelle lovric, author of the floating book and the remedy. Shan sa, bestselling author of empress, brings the familiar figure of alexander the great to new. 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. Shan sa books list of books by author shan sa thriftbooks. Buy featured book title empress author shan sa, sa shan, et al. 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.
The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are. 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. Alan cheuse selects shan sa s novel in his annual roundup of. She was married to an emperor and three of her sons were emperors. In seventhcentury china, during the great tang dynasty, a young girl from the humble wu clan entered the imperial gynaecium, which housed ten thousand. Empress wu, one of chinas most controversial figures, was its first and only female. Empress npr coverage of empress by shan sa, sa shan, and adriana hunter. Empress is a great literary feat and a revelation for the ages. The girl who played go was the first of her novels to be published outside of france. Writing with epic assurance, poetry, and vivid historic detail, shan sa, author of alexander and alestria.
Free download or read online empress pdf epub book. Imperatrice is a french biographical novel written by shan sa, a french. This article about a biographical novel of the 2000s is a stub. 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. Shan sa was born in beijing and had her first poems, essays, and stories published at the age of eight. Empress is the wombtotomb story of a seventh century chinese woman, heavenlight, who becomes the most powerful woman in the land.