Maxine Hong Kingston

Date of Birth: October 27, 1940

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Biography

Maxine Hong Kingston is an acclaimed American writer, best known for her works that explore the experiences of Chinese Americans. Born on October 27, 1940, in Stockton, California, Kingston grew up in a family of Chinese immigrants. Her parents, Tom and Ying Lan Hong, instilled in her a deep appreciation for Chinese culture and folklore, which heavily influenced her writing. Kingston attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a BA in English in 1962. She later became a prominent figure in the Asian American literary scene. Her breakthrough came with the publication of “The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts” in 1976, a work that blends autobiography with Chinese mythology to explore her cultural heritage and personal identity. The book received widespread critical acclaim and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. Kingston continued to explore similar themes in her subsequent works, including “China Men” (1980), which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, and “Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book” (1989), a novel that delves into the life of a Chinese American in the 1960s. Throughout her career, Kingston has received numerous awards and honors, including the National Humanities Medal in 1997 and induction into the California Hall of Fame in 2013. She has also served as a professor at several universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, where she has inspired many young writers.

5 Interesting Facts about Maxine Hong Kingston

1. Maxine Hong Kingston’s first book, “The Woman Warrior,” has been translated into over 20 languages.

2. She has received more than 30 honorary degrees from various institutions worldwide.

3. Kingston was a key figure in the development of Asian American literature and has been a vocal advocate for civil rights and social justice.

4. She has written several works of fiction and non-fiction, including children’s books and essays.

5. Kingston survived a house fire in 1991 that destroyed much of her work in progress but later channeled this experience into her writing.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Maxine Hong Kingston

1. “In a time of destruction, create something.”

2. “The sweat of hard work is not to be displayed. It is much more graceful to appear favored by the gods.”

3. “I learned to make my mind large, as the universe is large, so that there is room for paradoxes.”

4. “I have so many words. I have so many stories. I could create worlds.”

5. “Writing is a way of reaching out. It’s a way of connecting with people who are different from us, but also the same.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

The highest net worth Maxine Hong Kingston has achieved is estimated to be around $5 million.

Children

Maxine Hong Kingston has one son, Joseph Lawrence Chung Mei, born in 1968. He has often been a source of inspiration for her work, and their relationship has influenced her perspectives on family and cultural heritage.