In Memoriam: David Wong Louie (1954-2018)
September 21, 2018
Dear Asian American Studies Department,
I’m writing to you to share the sad news of the passing of David Wong Louie. After many years of cancer, he died with his family at his side at his home on Wednesday.
David was one of the leading voices in Asian American fiction since the 1980s, and he joined the faculty at UCLA in 1992. He was a founding faculty member of our Department over 15 years ago, and an active part of the Asian American Studies IDP before that. His major works include the short story collection Pangs of Love [1991] and the novel The Barbarians Are Coming [2000], both acclaimed and prize-winning. His recent Harper’s Magazine essay “Eat, Memory” was selected for The Best American Essays 2018. An inspiring and witty and committed teacher and colleague, he retired from UCLA in 2015, after an impactful career that touched so many of us.
Plans for a memorial service are in the works, about which we will keep you posted.
Sincerely,
Victor
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Victor Bascara, Chair
Asian American Studies Department
3333 Rolfe Hall
University of California | Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095
vbascara@ucla.edu
310-267-5592
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