Haun Saussy Presents Victor Mair with Surprise Festschrift at Cambria Press AAS 2018 Reception
What took place on the evening of March 24, 2018, in Washington, DC, was one of the most unforgettable events in AAS history, and probably any academic conference.
The evening began with short speeches about new books by Shen Jiawei and Mabel Lee, Albert Welter, Jonathan Stalling, Megan M. Ferry, Christopher Rea, Liu Jianmei (and Mabel Lee), and Carolyn T. Brown.
Then Professor Haun Saussy was asked by Toni Tan, director of Cambria Press, to come up to speak. While Professor Mair was aware that Professor Saussy was working on an edited volume, he had no idea that this was a festschrift being put together in his honor and that it would be unveiled that very night. So when Toni Tan asked Professor Saussy to take the stage, Professor Mair was under the impression that Professor Saussy was coming up just to say a few words about the forthcoming book. Little did he know that he would be presented with the highly anticipated top-secret volume that was the talk of the AAS.
After Professor Saussy gave his speech and presented the festschrift, Texts and Transformations: Essays in Honor of the 75th Birthday of Victor H. Mair, the birthday surprises did not end there. Toni Tan gave a speech about Professor Mair and then announced that a surprise mystery guest had come all the way specially to Washington, DC, to present Professor Mair with his birthday cake and lead the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” (in Chinese and English). It was a wonderful night celebrating Cambria authors and honoring Professor Victor Mair, a most beloved scholar who has helped so many in and outside the field.
Watch the video of the astonishing and incredibly heartwarming event, including speeches by Haun Saussy and Toni Tan, the surprise mystery guest who wheeled in the huge birthday cake, and finally by Victor Mair (whose reaction was wonderful and priceless)!
More photos of the event will be posted on Facebook and Twitter soon.
Order your copy of Texts and Transformations:
Essays in Honor of the 75th Birthday of Victor H. Mair today!
Editor: Haun Saussy
Publisher: Cambria Press
ISBN: 9781604979565
486 pp. | 2018 | Hardback & E-book
Book Webpage: http://www.cambriapress.com/books/9781604979565.cfm