Ying Chen

Ying Chen was born in 1961 in Shanghai, and immigrated to Montreal in 1989. Chen has published four major works in French, including; Memory of Water (1992), Chinese Letters (1993), Ingratitude (1995), and Immobile (1998). Chinese Letters portrays the experiences and emotions of a young man who has immigrated to Quebec and writes to the woman he loves back in China. Ingratitude is set in contemporary China, and is a narrative of a young woman who struggles to cope with the oppressive traditions of China and her mother's overbearing dominance. Though Chen's novels resonate with reflections of Chinese culture and traditions, she has been praised for her ability to write about themes that transcend the cultural specific-domestic discord, human fears and emotions. Ingratitude was nominated for a Governor's General Award and the Prix Femina, and received the Quebec-Paris prize, as well as the Grand Reader's Prize of Elle Quebec. It has been translated into English, Spanish, Italian and Polish.