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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
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THE HOUSE OF WIVES
Two women compete for the affections of their opium-merchant husband in a tale of friendship, fortune and rivalry in colonial Hong Kong.
In 1862, a young Jew from Calcutta named Emanuel Belilios leaves his dutiful wife Semah and sets sail for Hong Kong to make his fortune in the opium trade. There he grows into a prosperous and respectable merchant, eventually falling in love with his Chinese business partner's daughter Pearl, a delicate beauty twenty years his junior. As a wedding present, he builds for her the most magnificent mansion in Hong Kong. Then Semah arrives unannounced from Calcutta to take her place as mistress of the house.
Inspired by the lives of Choa-Johnston's ancestors, The House of Wives is an unforgettable novel about the machinations of the early opium trade, and about two remarkable women determined to secure a dynasty for their children in the tumultuous British Crown Colony, where the interests of the Near East and the Far East would clash for years to come.
Given those basic facts, playwright and director Simon Choa-Johnston has created a fascinating and compelling drama exploring a little-known corner of history. It is a novel that he has been preparing to write all his life, not only through archival research and family interviews but through travel to India and Hong Kong. It includes a family curse, and tragic death, and an abundance of mystery.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, SIMON CHOA-JOHNSTON came to Canada to attend McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and graduated in 1972, after which he went to New York for postgraduate theatre studies. He has worked in Canadian theatre for over twenty-five years as an Artistic Director, Director (over 200 productions), and Playwright. He was awarded the Governor General’s Canada 125 Medal, has
been nominated for the prestigious W.O. Mitchell Literary Prize, and was inducted into McMaster University’s Alumni Gallery. Simon spent twelve years as the Artistic & Executive Director of the Gateway Theatre in Richmond, B.C., from 2000 – 2012.
Inspired by the lives of Choa-Johnston's ancestors, The House of Wives is an unforgettable novel about the machinations of the early opium trade, and about two remarkable women determined to secure a dynasty for their children in the tumultuous British Crown Colony, where the interests of the Near East and the Far East would clash for years to come.
Given those basic facts, playwright and director Simon Choa-Johnston has created a fascinating and compelling drama exploring a little-known corner of history. It is a novel that he has been preparing to write all his life, not only through archival research and family interviews but through travel to India and Hong Kong. It includes a family curse, and tragic death, and an abundance of mystery.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, SIMON CHOA-JOHNSTON came to Canada to attend McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and graduated in 1972, after which he went to New York for postgraduate theatre studies. He has worked in Canadian theatre for over twenty-five years as an Artistic Director, Director (over 200 productions), and Playwright. He was awarded the Governor General’s Canada 125 Medal, has
been nominated for the prestigious W.O. Mitchell Literary Prize, and was inducted into McMaster University’s Alumni Gallery. Simon spent twelve years as the Artistic & Executive Director of the Gateway Theatre in Richmond, B.C., from 2000 – 2012.
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Book
Published 2016-05-01 by Penguin Canada |
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Book
Published 2016-05-01 by Penguin Canada |