Bliss Montage
short-story-collection · First published 2022
From the acclaimed author of Severance comes a story collection that is breathtaking in its imaginative feat
Author guide
Ling Ma Books in Order
Ling Ma is a Chinese American writer and professor at the University of Chicago. She is the author of the novel Severance and the short-story collection Bliss Montage. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Granta, and the Virginia Quarterly Review. She has received a MacArthur Fellowship, the Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Story Prize, and the Whiting Award.
literary fictionspeculative fictiondystopian fictionsurreal fictionshort stories
Catalog record updated .
Ling Ma's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Severance
Begin with Ma's debut novel and most widely recognized work.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (1)
- Severance
novel · 2018
Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine. With the recent passing of her Chinese immigrant parents, she’s had her fill of uncertainty. She’s content just to carry on: She goes to…
Short fiction (1)
- Bliss Montage
short-story-collection · 2022
From the acclaimed author of Severance comes a story collection that is breathtaking in its imaginative feat
Frequently asked questions about Ling Ma
Who is Ling Ma?
Ling Ma is a fiction writer and associate professor in the University of Chicago’s Department of English Language and Literature. Her work blends speculative and realist storytelling to explore labor, capitalism, identity, and the Chinese-American diaspora.
Sources: english.uchicago.edu (opens in a new tab)macfound.org (opens in a new tab)
Where was Ling Ma born and raised?
Ling Ma was born in Fujian province, China, and grew up in Utah and Kansas.
What work did Ling Ma do before focusing on fiction?
Before turning her focus to fiction, Ma worked in media and publishing and held various jobs, including film reviewing, sandwich making, and scooping ice cream.
What influences Ling Ma’s writing?
Her influences include horror and science fiction, Franz Kafka, the 1990s and 2000s zine scene, contemporary art, and reality television. Her writing often examines the boundary between everyday reality and the fantastical.
Sources: english.uchicago.edu (opens in a new tab)college.uchicago.edu (opens in a new tab)
What major awards has Ling Ma received?
Ma has received a MacArthur Fellowship, the Story Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, and a Whiting Award.
Sources: english.uchicago.edu (opens in a new tab)macfound.org (opens in a new tab)windhamcampbell.org (opens in a new tab)news.uchicago.edu (opens in a new tab)