Born in London and educated there and in Glasgow, Paul French has lived and worked in Shanghai for many years. He is a widely published analyst and commentator on China and has written a number of books, including a history of foreign correspondents in China and a biography of the legendary Shanghai adman, journalist and adventurer Carl Crow. His new book is City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai.One of French's top ten books about Old Shanghai, as shared at the Guardian:
Lust, Caution by Eileen Chang (Zhang Ailing) (1979)Read about the other entries on the list.
Chang recalls her own traumatic and adventurous wartime years in this novella that, because it is so personal and revelatory, took her more than 35 years to write. The long Japanese occupation of the city, the relationships that formed in those desperate times, and the terrible choices the Shanghainese were forced to make are at the heart of a book that became a fantastic movie directed by Ang Lee. Chang remains the pre-eminent bard of Shanghai.
--Marshal Zeringue
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