Simon Choa-Johnston was born and raised in Hong Kong and educated in Canada. He graduated from McMaster University in 1972. He did post graduate theatre studies in New York, returning to Canada to work in the theatre for over thirty years as an artistic director, director and playwright. He was awarded the Governor General's Canada 125 Medal and was nominated for the prestigious W. O. Mitchell Literary Prize. He lives in British Columbia.
“From playwright Simon Choa-Johnston comes a powerful narrative
that could only be delivered by a perceptive mind enriched by a
worldview formed by decades of multifarious experiences which, in
turn, are articulated with nuanced literary finesse.”—THE PIONEER,
New Delhi
“Simon Johnston has written a rollicking great novel that kept me
turning the pages so fast they almost burst into flames. With a
powerful and lush sense of place, this story of love, opium, and an
exotic city will leave its mark on you as it did on me. Sublime
storytelling.” —TERRY FALLIS, author of No
Relation and Poles Apart
“The achievement of this epic novel is that it will not leave you
alone—it will call to you (even in the night) to return to its
colourful, daring and sometimes outrageous characters and to keep
up with them until they are ready to let you go. What a
feat of artistry and storytelling!” —JOSEPH KERTES, author
of Winter Tulips and Gratitude
“In this richly imagined tale, Simon Choa-Johnston fleshes out the
bones of his exotic ancestry and gives it the theatrical sweep of
opera – engrossing.” —PLUM JOHNSON, Charles Taylor
Prize-winning author of They Left Us Everything
“The story of the two strong women jousting for Emanuel's love is
the most compelling feature of the book.” —THE ASIAN AGE,
India
“With gripping descriptions in beautiful language, the narrative
leaves a reader wanting for more.” —HINDUSTAN TIMES, New
Delhi
“Although set in the 1800s, this remarkable story about a Jewish
opium seller in Hong Kong and his two wives reinforces how notions
of love, family, betrayal, and ambition are universally
consistent.” —THE PIONEER, New Delhi
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