Celia, Misoka, I

Set in modern-day Montreal,Celia, Misoka, Iis the story of a middle-aged Chinese man who has been living in the city for fifteen years. After the death of his wife, he begins to reflect on his past and how he has ended up alone in Canada, a solitary member of the Chinese diaspora. It is in this period of angst and uncertainty, during the most unusual of winters, that he meets two women by Beaver Lake, on Montreal's Mount Royal. They, too, have their own stories: stories of their own personal plights, which connect present to past, and West to East.

The distinct paths taken by these three characters Celia, Misoka, and "I" span continents and decades, but, whether by chance or design, converge in Montreal, like mysterious figures in an ancient Chinese Zen painting. After coming together, the three begin to examine who they are, where they might belong, and how to navigate otherness and identity in a globalized world. (From Dundurn Press)

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Xue Yiwei is a bestselling novelist, short story writer and academic. He has published four novels, five collections of short stories plus several works of nonfiction. Shenzheners is his first book to be translated into English. Xue Yiwei lives in Montreal.

Stephen Nashef is a Chinese to English translator. He was awarded a Henry Luce Foundation Fellowship for Chinese poetry translation in 2018. Nashef lives in Beijing.