Magic of Nghi Vo

Imaginary Worlds

Eric Molinsky

Arts, Science Fiction, Fiction, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2023

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Nghi Vo's novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful have gotten widespread critical acclaim, which was a pleasant surprise to her because she only started expanding beyond short story writing in the last several years. Both novels are set in the same magical early 20th century America where a Hollywood studio or Jay Gatsby’s mansion could be places of treachery and wonder. I talk with Nghi about the inspiration for her main characters, who are both queer Asian American women navigating white spaces with style and attitude. And she explains why in her world, magic is just another form of power. Also featuring readings by the actress Shannon Tyo. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you’re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Imaginary Worlds, a show about how we create them and why we suspend
0:06.2	our disbelief.
0:07.2	I'm Eric Mollinsky.
0:09.6	Over the holiday break, I was catching up on fantasy fiction, and I'd heard great things
0:13.8	about the writer Nee Voe, so I started reading one of her novels, The Chosen in the Beautiful,
0:19.2	which came out in 2021.
0:21.8	In the novel, she retells the story of the great Gatsby from the point of view of Jordan Baker.
0:28.4	She was a secondary character in the original novel, and she reimagines this character as
0:34.6	being Vietnamese and adopted, and her version of the great Gatsby is full of magic, some
0:41.9	of it very dark magic.
0:44.9	I got completely sucked into this book.
0:47.8	I burned my way through it, and then I went on to her next novel, Siren Queen, which
0:52.4	came out in 2022.
0:54.7	It takes place in the same magical, early 20th century America, except she moved the action
0:59.9	to Hollywood.
1:01.9	The main character in Siren Queen is a Chinese American actress.
1:05.8	Her stage name is Luley Way.
1:07.7	We never actually learn her real name.
1:10.1	Her story is partially inspired by the real-life movie star, Anna-May Wong.
1:15.2	The main characters in both novels, Luley Way and Jordan Baker, are both queer.
1:21.9	In 2020's New York and 1930's Hollywood are two of my favorite settings for any kind
1:27.0	of story.
	...

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