Bernardines Shanghai Salon, Susan BlumbergKason
Bernardines Shanghai Salon, Susan BlumbergKason
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Bernardine's Shanghai Salon
The Story of the Doyenne of Old China

Author: Susan Blumberg-Kason

Narrator: Nancy Wu

Unabridged: 7 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/07/2023

Synopsis

Bernardine Szold Fritz arrived in Shanghai in 1929 to marry her fourth husband. Only thirty-three years old, she found herself in a time and place like no other. Political intrigue and scandal lurked on every street corner. Art Deco cinemas showed the latest Hollywood flicks, while dancehall owners and jazz musicians turned Shanghai into Asia's top nightlife destination.

Yet from the night of their wedding, Bernardine's new husband did not live up to his promises. Instead of feeling sorry for herself or leaving Shanghai, Bernardine decided to make a place for herself. Like other Jewish women before her, she started a salon in her home, drawing famous names from the world of politics, the arts, and the intelligentsia. And when Hollywood stars Anna May Wong, Charlie Chaplin, and Claudette Colbert passed through Shanghai, Bernardine organized gatherings to introduce them to their Shanghai contemporaries.

When Bernardine's salon could not accommodate all who wanted to attend, she founded the International Arts Theater to produce avant-garde plays, ballets, lectures, and visual arts exhibits, often pushing audiences beyond their comfort zones. As civil war brewed and World War II soon followed, Bernardine's devotion to the arts and the people of Shanghai brought joy to the city just before it would change forever.

About Susan Blumberg-Kason

Susan Blumberg-Kason is the author of Good Chinese Wife: A Love Affair with China Gone Wrong and coeditor of Hong Kong Noir. She is a regular contributor to the Asian Review of Books and her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, World Literature Today, PopMatters, and the South China Morning Post. She is a graduate of Goucher College, where she earned a BA in political science. She spent her junior year abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and returned to the same university a few years later to study for an MPhil in government and public administration. She became interested in 1930s Shanghai when she was in the city in the mid-1990s for her thesis research. Susan now lives with her family in the Chicago suburbs.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ray on April 27, 2024

In 1929, socialite Bernadine Szold Fritz left America at the age of 33 to move to Shanghai. She stayed there for the better part of the following decade, until war with Japan forced so many to leave. The world Bernadine inhabited and thrived in was alien in many ways, but also surprisingly familiar......more

Goodreads review by April on October 03, 2023

Susan Blumberg-Kason’s newest book just took me on a journey through the life of Bernardine Szold Fritz and it was quite the journey. I had never heard of Bernardine until I saw social media posts regarding Susan’s book. China in the 1930s and 1940s when so much was happening in the world and in Euro......more

Goodreads review by Shreedevi on December 13, 2023

Bernardine Szold-Fritz(August 4,1896-February, 1982) was born in Peoria, Illinois.She was a hostess, correspondent,and actress.Her private life was complex.She became known in Shanghai for her home salon,attracting Chinese and foreign writers, actors, artists and musicians.Bernadine was part of the......more

Goodreads review by Harvee on November 08, 2023

Fascinating book that takes a good look at the vibrant social and international scene in 1930s Shanghai, before the war with the Japanese and WWII. Bernardine Szold marries the Shanghai businessman Chester Fritz and settles in the city, forming a salon to which she invites famous American and Europe......more

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