Author and attorney George Lee’s novel, Dancing in the River, won the Guernica Prize, and draws on Lee’s own life experiences growing up in China. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy during Mao’s Cultural Revolution—a boy named Little Bright living in a small, riverside town who is heavily indoctrinated by the anti-Western sentiment of the time and place. The perspectives afforded in this stunning novel—the insights into culture, politics, and personal experience—are crucial to a national and global understanding of Chinese history.
But just because a book is informed by an author’s experience doesn’t make it autobiographical. However, it could make it autofictional. After reading this book and being swept up in the stunning narrative, we had to ask: how much of this incredible story was founded in George’s life?
Welcome George!
Bring home Dancing in the River by George Lee.
Q: Your novel Dancing in the River reads like a memoir and you’ve said it’s inspired by your life. We’re curious if you’d go as far as saying it could be classified as autofiction—a genre that blend details of your life with fictional plot points and characters.
A: I would call it an autobiographical novel or fictional memoir.
Little Bright's story is deeply informed by my personal experiences. There's always a delicate dance between fact and fiction. I used my emotional truth as the compass.
When I started it, I intended to write an autobiography. Still, eventually, I decided to break free from the strict confines of facts, so I was able to explore more universal themes by crafting fictional characters that breathe the air of authenticity.
More about George Lee:
George was born and raised in China. He earned an M.A. in English literature from University of Calgary, and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Victoria. Dancing in the River, won the 2021 Guernica Prize for Literary Fiction. He practices law in Vancouver, Canada.