Winnifred Eaton Babcock Reed‘s life story is the stuff of legends. Born in Montreal, Canada in 1875, to a Chinese mother and an English father, Reed was said to be the first novelist of Asian descent in North America. She also authored Hollywood scripts at a time when women were scarcely represented in the industry dominated by men. This summer, from July 27 to 29, nearly 40 scholars from around the globe, including representatives from Japan and Hong Kong, will gather in Calgary, Alberta, to discuss Reed’s fascinating life.
Despite her extensive works, memoirs, interviews, and biographies, Reed remains a less-known figure among Canadians and Americans. Therefore, the organizers of the conference plan to spotlight this creative Chinese-Canadian force. The conference will also be attended by some of Reed’s descendants who are eager to uncover new insights about their ancestor. By her demise in 1954, Reed had written 18 bestselling novels, 80 stories, over 60 non-fiction works and poems, and had written and edited 50 film scripts.
Reed, whose Eurasian heritage was more discernible in her Caucasian features, lived in both Canada and the United States. At the beginning of her career, she adopted the controversial tactic of posing as Japanese to gain attention in the literary world. “Winnifred was a chameleon who reinvented herself multiple times throughout her career,” notes Mary Chapman, a professor at the University of British Columbia specializing in American literature and transnational American studies. “Even though one phase of her career was deeply problematic, she catered to the shifting desires of the competitive literary marketplace. She started with formulaic, sentimental Japanese romances and ended with brutally realist fiction about the Canadian west.”
Born as the eighth child among 14 siblings, Reed’s life was as vibrant as her literary career. Her parents had met in Shanghai and were married in 1863 before settling in Montreal. Her sister Edith was a noted journalist who used the pen name Sui Sin Far. Reed initially dipped her toes into journalism before deciding to become an author. Japanese art and design were all the rage in the West, and Reed capitalized on this trend by pretending to be Japanese and adopting a pseudo-Japanese identity to publish her works.
Hollywood noticed Reed when silent films were transitioning to sound films in 1927. Despite her crucial contributions to screenwriting, not all of her works were correctly credited due to the collaborative nature of the industry. However, her bold exploration of mixed-race relationships and controversial themes irked puritanical Christian groups seeking to sanitize the big screen.
After leaving Hollywood in 1930, Reed returned to Alberta, changed her writing style significantly, and produced some of her best works. One such masterpiece was “Cattle,” a novel set during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that still resonates with readers today due to its contemporary themes. Reed’s extraordinary legacy continues through her descendants, who have carried on the family’s artistic pursuits, maintaining a connection to the cinematic and literary world.
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