About
Clio Calodoukas is the author of All Roads led to Shanghai. Her book is available in paperback by contacting Amazon.com and also online as an e-book on Kindle.
All Roads led to Shanghai is a memoir of the author's life growing up in the International Settlement of Shanghai, a city governed by the British. It is also a narrative of people being forcibly displaced from their countries; amongst them her Greek father and White Russian mother. They were among the thousands who came to Shanghai to seek refuge from political upheavals that occurred in various parts of the world in the early 20th Century. There were no international welfare organizations then to assist them, but most managed to cope, creating an exciting, lively and cultural scene.
In her book the Author tries to recreate for the reader the vibrancy of the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai as she remembers it - a city that never slept, where every day could present an unexpected political incident. She relates the extreme disparity between rich and poor. She writes about the Japanese occupation of Shanghai and of a major part of China and how it affected the residents. When World War II ended the short-lived period of liberation by the Allies was soon followed by Civil War between the Left and Right factions in China. As the Communists gained control of China all foreigners were forced to relinquish their homes and possessions and seek a safer destination. As with so many others who lived through those times the Author understands the heartache of being forcibly separated from close friends and relatives, and from one's environment.
The Author lives with her husband, Jason, in a beachside suburb of Sydney, Australia. They have three children, a daughter and son who live nearby with their families, and another son who recently moved to Brisbane with his family. Now retired, she worked for several decades as an administrator in the field of Opera and Classical Music. Through her work she was privileged to meet many artists acclaimed in Australia and internationally and attend many exciting performances, some still resonating in her memory.
The Author hopes her readers will enjoy her memoir, and for those who lived through Shanghai's turbulent years, she hopes her book brings back special memories.
