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Hualing Nieh Engle

ニェー・ファーリン

Nie Hua-ling / Nieh Hualing

Aliases: Nieh Hualing / Nie Hua-ling
Pen Names: Hualing Nieh（Name used in Chinese-language publications）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1925-01-11 （Wuhan, Hubei, China）
Died
2024-10-21 （Iowa City, Iowa, United States） age 99
Nationality
China, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Languages
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Residence History
Wuhan, China → Taiwan (relocated after 1949) → Iowa City, United States

Career

Occupations
novelist, poet, translator, editor, university professor, director (International Writing Program)
Active Years
1948-2024
Affiliations
International Writing Program, University of Iowa, Translation Workshop, University of Iowa (co-director), Free China Journal (editorial board)
Memberships
International Writing Program, University of Iowa (advisory board), Iowa Women's Hall of Fame
Influenced By
Paul Engle, Modern Chinese writers (general influence)
Influenced
Writers who participated in the International Writing Program (global cohort), Subsequent generations of Taiwanese and Chinese-language writers
Nominations
Nobel Peace Prize (1976, advanced on behalf of Paul and Nieh Engle)

Education

National Central University
Western Languages Department (English) / Department of English
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 〜1948
Year of Graduation: 1948
Country: China (later relocated to Taiwan)
Graduated in English in 1948; relocated to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War.
University of Iowa (Iowa Writers' Workshop)
Creative writing (MFA) / Writers' Workshop
Degree: Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Period: 1964–1966
Year of Graduation: 1966
Country: United States
Received MFA in fiction in 1966.

Awards

Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters
1981
Organization: University of Colorado
Result: 受与
Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters
1981
Organization: University of Dubuque
Result: 受与
Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts
1982
Organization: National Association of Governors
Result: 受与
American Book Award (Fiction)
1990
Work: Mulberry and Peach (Two Women of China)
Category: フィクション
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation (USA)
Result: 受賞
Medal of Merit for Cultural Service
1992
Organization: Ministry of Culture, Poland
Result: 受与
Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters
2009
Organization: Hong Kong Baptist University
Result: 受与
Best Chinese Writing in the World
2009
Organization: Sin Chew Jit Poh
Result: 受与
Nobel Peace Prize (nomination)
1976
Organization: Submitted on behalf of Paul and Nieh Engle by W. Averell Harriman / nominators
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mulberry and Peach (Two Women of China)

1976 novel

A novel exploring women's lives and the search for identity against the backdrop of Chinese history.

identitywomenhistory and memory
Translations
  • English (Two Women of China / Mulberry and Peach)
  • Translated into Dutch, Korean, Croatian, Hungarian

The Purse

1959 short stories / short fiction

An early collection of short stories depicting everyday life and interpersonal relations.

everyday lifehuman relationships
Translations
  • Translated into English (The Purse); later Portuguese translation (1967)

Far Away, A River

1996 novel

A work about the search for roots and identity, portraying memory and movement of characters.

rootsmemorymigration

Three Lives / Images of Three Lives

2004 memoir / essay

A pictorial-essay memoir chronicling life in China, Taiwan and the United States.

memoircross-cultural experiencemigration

Bibliography

  • Creeper, novella (1953)
  • Jade Cat, short stories (1959)
  • The Lost Golden Bell, novel (1960)
  • A Small White Flower, short stories (1963)
  • The Valley of Dreams, essays (1965)
  • Mulberry and Peach, novel (1976)
  • Three Lives, memoir (2004)
  • Images of the Three Lives, picture-essay memoir (2007/2008)

Translations by Author

  • Translated works into Chinese, including Henry James' Madame de Mauves

Translations of Works

  • Mulberry and Peach → translated into English, Dutch, Korean, Croatian, Hungarian
  • The Purse → translated into Portuguese (1967)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear and lyrical prosefocus on inner lives of charactersblend of realism and reminiscence
Recurring Motifs
search for identityroots and memorywomen's experiences and perspectivesmigration and cross-cultural connection

Legacy

Nieh Hualing Engle left a substantial body of work in Chinese and is known for co-founding and developing the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, promoting international literary exchange. She also played an important role as an introducer and translator of Chinese literature.

Academic Societies

  • International Writing Program, University of Iowa (advisory)
  • Iowa Women's Hall of Fame

Archives

  • International Writing Program (IWP) archives at the University of Iowa

Trivia

  • Her father was executed during the Chinese Civil War.
  • She served on the editorial board of Free China Journal and was later placed under surveillance in Taiwan.
  • She co-founded the International Writing Program (IWP) with Paul Engle, contributing to global literary exchange.
  • Mulberry and Peach won the American Book Award in 1990.