Picture a Chinese American storyteller who turned a zombie apocalypse into a sharp satire of modern life—meet Ling Ma! With her debut novel Severance, Ma captured readers’ imaginations, blending dystopian horror with office comedy and immigrant identity. Her unique voice, laced with deadpan humor and piercing social commentary, has made her a standout in contemporary literature.
Born in Sanming, Fujian, China, Ma’s journey from a small-town upbringing to literary stardom is as compelling as her stories. Now a professor at the University of Chicago, she crafts narratives that explore alienation, capitalism, and the surreal beauty of everyday life.
The Making of Ling Ma
Ling Ma was born in 1983 in China, an only child due to the country’s one-child policy. Her family immigrated to the U.S., where she grew up in Utah, Nebraska, and Kansas, navigating the complexities of a first-generation immigrant experience. With an AB from the University of Chicago and an MFA from Cornell University, Ma honed her craft while working jobs like fact-checking at Playboy. It was during her office days, facing a layoff, that she began writing Severance—a novel born from severance pay and a need to unpack her frustrations with work and identity.
Ling Ma’s Unforgettable Stories
Ma’s debut, Severance (2018), is a genre-defying gem. The novel follows Candace Chen, a millennial office drone in New York City, as a fungal pandemic called Shen Fever turns people into zombie-like creatures stuck in repetitive tasks. Part post-apocalyptic thriller, part office satire, it’s a biting critique of late-stage capitalism and immigrant nostalgia. The book won the Kirkus Prize and was a New York Times Notable Book, earning praise for its eerie prescience and sharp wit.
In 2022, Ma released Bliss Montage, a short story collection that dives into the uncanny. Stories like “Peking Duck” explore immigrant storytelling and representation, while others, like “G,” blend speculative elements with raw emotion. The collection won the National Book Critics Circle Award and The Story Prize, showcasing Ma’s ability to weave surreal premises with human connection. Her writing style—deadpan, lyrical, and subversive—draws comparisons to Margaret Atwood and Don DeLillo, yet feels wholly her own.
Ma’s work often starts with a spark of wish fulfillment that turns nightmarish, reflecting her fascination with blending speculative and realist modes. Her stories, published in outlets like The New Yorker and Granta, probe themes of isolation, diaspora, and the absurdity of modern routines.
Why Ling Ma Matters
Ling Ma’s impact lies in her ability to make the surreal feel achingly real. Her stories resonate with millennials grappling with work culture and immigrants navigating dual identities. By blending genres, she challenges literary norms, offering fresh perspectives on capitalism and belonging. Her 2024 MacArthur Fellowship and 2023 Windham-Campbell Prize affirm her influence, cementing her as a voice for our fragmented times.
Ma’s work also sparked conversations during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Severance’s pandemic plot feeling eerily prophetic. Readers found solace in her exploration of routine amid chaos, proving her stories’ timeless relevance.
- Born: 1983, Sanming, Fujian, China
- Key Works: Severance (2018), Bliss Montage (2022)
- Awards: Kirkus Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, MacArthur Fellowship
- Fun Fact: Ma wrote Severance while living off severance pay after a layoff!
Snag Severance or Bliss Montage and dive into Ling Ma’s brilliantly weird world of speculative satire!