Through her 1976 book The Stories of the Sahara, and numerous other publications, famed Chinese-born, Taiwan-raised author Sanmao inspired generations of young women yearning for independence from conservative social norms. Setting Sanmao’s words against archival footage and old films, directors Ana Pérez de la Fuente and Marta Arribas weave together an epic retelling of her extraordinary and complex life. Seeking freedom from the oppressive Taiwanese education system, a young Sanmao opts to live as a bohemian expatriate. Through her travels, she unveils a succession of literary works that seem so fantastical to those back home that they thought she was writing fiction. As her self-confidence, radical spirit and unbridled hunger for adventure grows, she creates a remarkable oeuvre of travel writing and autobiography. Sanmao. The Desert Bride reveals a life of unabashed independence—but also one mired in world-weary melancholy. Heather Haynes
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