NPR

Amy Tan Revisits The Roots Of Her Writing Career In 'Where The Past Begins'

In a new memoir, the Joy Luck Club author searches her past for the sources of her creativity. She says, "I certainly think that the bad experiences ... shaped me as a writer."
Amy Tan (pictured with her family in 1959) found startling information about her parents while sifting through a treasure trove of family papers.

Amy Tan loves jazz and classical music. "I have a Steinway, which was my life's dream," she says, sitting at her grand piano in the middle of her New York living room. When Tan listens to a piece of music, she imagines stories to go with it, so she always listens when she writes.

Tan is best known for novelsthat focus on mother-daughter relationships and Chinese-American culture — novels like. Her latest book, is a writer's memoir. In it, Tan delves into her past to uncover the sources of her own creativity.

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