The Chickencoop Chinaman and The Year of the Dragon

Two Plays

Frank Chin

• $20.00s paperback (9780295958330) Add to Cart
• hardcover not available

• Published: 1981
• Subject Listing: Asian American Studies
• Bibliographic information: 172 pp., illus.
• Territorial rights: world
• Contents

Frank Chin is a talented and controversial writer whose plays defy accepted stereotypes and conventions. His subject is Chinese America - not the tourist's exotic view of CHinatown, but the drama of real people living in a physically and psychologically congested ghetto. At the heart of his work, Chin is addressing fundamental questions about Chinese American identity, manhood, and culture.

When first produced in 1972 and 1974, these two plays created an enormous stir. Some critics condemned the playwright, others praised him. In susequent years his work has had a profound impact on a generation of young Asian American writers. With the publication of this volume, the plays can now be read and debated and enjoyed by a larger audience.

"There can be no question..about the ability of the gifted, passionate, funny Mr. Chinp; his characters are playable, complex and always convincing, and the words they speakm are always theirs and theirs alone." -The New Yorker

"The Year of the Dragon barges through the comfortable stereotypes of the Asian American - the quiet, hardworking contented characcter who keeps to himself, rarely bothering the white community. It is not an 'easy' play. The language is frequently strong, and the bitterness, even when wrapped in some very funny comedy, is unrelenting...But as a portrait of an Asian American's furious struggle for identity, the play is a searing statement, a powerful cry." -The New York Times

"If the main character represents the second generation, we would have no hope. He has no warmth. He lacks understanding. His actions are despicable." -translated from The Chinese Pacific Weekly

"One does not have to agree with Chin's views to be profoundly affected by his arguments. They are well observed, richly detailed and sharply focsed." -Pacific Citizen