FICTION

The Hanging on Union Square

by H. T. Tsiang
Penguin Classics. May 2019. 240p. ed. by Floyd Cheung. ISBN 9780143134022. pap. $18. F
COPY ISBN
Self-published in 1935 by Chinese émigré and literary trickster Tsiang, whose wildly original novels withered in the shadow of Pearl Buck’s more commercially palatable Orientalism, this raucous proletarian satire is delightfully disarming. Thumbing his nose at the earnest social realism fashionable among leftist authors of the day, Tsiang (1899–1971) relates the progress of his bourgeois everyman Mr. Nut toward class-consciousness in a bracing, declarative style with an antic irreverence all its own. Questioning his allegiance to Mr. System’s pitiless capitalism, the down-at-heels Nut mulls the gangsterism of Mr. Wiseguy and the revolutionary zeal of Miss Stubborn, before conceiving the bold piece of suicidal agitprop referenced in the title.
VERDICT Redolent of the creative and political ferment of Depression-era New York, this transgressive mashup of Karl and Groucho Marx resurrects a marginalized Asian American provocateur far fresher and more entertaining than most of his contemporaries. A revelation.
Reviewed by David Wright, Seattle P.L. , Aug 01, 2021
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

FICTION

The Library Thief
by Shenjé, Kuchenga
FICTION

One Cursed Rose
by Zanetti, Rebecca
FICTION

A Punishing Breed
by Frost, DC
FICTION

The Sweet Blue Distance
by Donati, Sara
FICTION

Dreadful
by Rozakis, Caitlin
FICTION

The Guncle Abroad
by Rowley, Steven
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?