Syd Goldsmith
Author Syd Goldsmith in 2016, Taipei, Taiwan.
Born (1938-07-27) July 27, 1938
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma materColumbia University
OccupationWriter
Websitewww.sydgoldsmith.com

Syd Goldsmith (born July 27, 1938) is an American writer residing in Taiwan and a former diplomat. He has been featured in the South China Morning Post,[1] on CNN,[2] and by other media outlets. Goldsmith is the author of two fiction and one non-fiction books—Jade Phoenix,[3] Two Musicians and The Wife Who Isn’t [4] and Hong Kong on the Brink: An American Diplomat Relives 1967's Darkest Days [5] — as well as numerous news op-ed articles.[6][7]

Early life

Goldsmith was born in Washington, D.C., and moved to Jamaica, Queens as a boy. He graduated from Montclair High School in 1956[8] and attended Columbia University.

Career

Diplomat

As a diplomat, he served in the Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong, and Macau during the 1967 Hong Kong riots, the United States Embassy in Taipei, Taiwan (1970-1974), and subsequently as the director of the American Institute in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Branch Office, a de facto American consulate during Taiwan's transformation from a martial law dictatorship to the first ever Chinese democracy.[9]

Writer

Goldsmith published his first novel, Jade Phoenix, in 2006. In the novel, a U.S. journalist and a Taiwanese businessman overcome huge cultural differences and become the closest of friends, only to discover that they both love the same woman. Although a novel, the work combined aspects of journalism, autobiography, and memoir as Goldsmith knows many of the historical persons who appear as characters in the book, both real and fictionalized. In an interview with the Taipei Times, Goldsmith said that he wrote the book "in a search for deeper understanding of the soul of Taiwan during the turbulent decade of the 1970s when everything changed."[10] “Jade Phoenix” was a New Voices in Literature Award Finalist.

His second book, Two Musicians and The Wife Who Isn’t, published in 2012, explores the hearts and souls of three passionate people.

His third book, Hong Kong on the Brink: An American Diplomat Relives 1967’s Darkest Days, published in 2017, a critical and unsparing account of Goldsmith's experience during one of Hong Kong's deadliest periods, details “Hong Kong … simmering, plagued by communist-led riots and strikes, crippled transport, punishing water-rationing, takeover threats from Beijing and roadside bombs.” The South China Morning Post calls it “an informative, engaging read filled with vivid historical detail.” [11]

Person life

Goldsmith lives in Taipei, Taiwan.

Books

  • Jade Phoenix, 2006. (Selected as a “New Voices in Literature Award Finalist”)
  • Two Musicians and The Wife Who Isn’t, 2012.
  • Hong Kong on the Brink: An American Diplomat Relives 1967’s Darkest Days, 2017.

References

  1. ↑ Phila Siu (2017-06-01). "Ex-US diplomat recounts how deadly 1967 Hong Kong unrest became full-blown riot after pro-Beijing figures stepped in". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  2. ↑ Neal Moore (2009-04-01). "Reflections on TRA: Syd Goldsmith, Former AIT director, Kaohsiung". CNN. Archived from the original on 2017-05-16. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  3. ↑ Goldsmith, Syd (2006). Jade Phoenix. Bookman Books. ISBN 9780595375493.
  4. ↑ Goldsmith, Syd (2012). Two Musicians and The Wife Who Isn't. Two Musicians Publishing. ISBN 9780985444624.
  5. ↑ Goldsmith, Syd (2017). Jade Phoenix. Blacksmith Books. ISBN 9789887792789.
  6. ↑ Syd Goldsmith (2011-09-21). "For China and Taiwan, a welcome thaw". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  7. ↑ Syd Goldsmith (2011-09-21). "Dreams of 'One China' Clash with Taiwan Realities". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  8. ↑ "Meet Montclair’s Class of 1956", Baristanet, September 28, 2006. Accessed March 7, 2022. "Attendees for the class of 1956 reunion are an impressive 200 and counting, out of a class of 317. Among those, a number are authors (Montclair hasn’t changed that much after all) of unique books. Classmate, Syd Goldsmith, a former diplomat now living in China, is the author of Jade Phoenix."
  9. ↑ "Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club". Newsroom. HKFC. June 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ Dan Bloom (2006-03-12). "Former US diplomat takes a peep at 'the soul of Taiwan'". The Taipei Times. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
  11. ↑ Richard Lord (2017-06-19). "Book review: Hong Kong on the Brink – An American Diplomat Relives 1967's Darkest Days". The South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
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