Tan Twan Eng

Tan Twan Eng (Chinese: 陳團英, b. 1972) is a Malaysian novelist who writes in English. He published his first novel, The Gift of Rain, in 2007. He is best known for his 2012 book The Garden of Evening Mists which won the Man Asian Literary Prize[1] and Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, making Tan the first Malaysian to be recognised by all three awards.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Tan.
Tan Twan Eng
陳團英
Born1972 (age 50–51)
George Town, Penang, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
EducationBachelor of Laws
Alma materUniversity of London
OccupationNovelist
Years active2007–present
Notable work
Websitewww.tantwaneng.com
Tan Twan Eng
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese陳團英
Hanyu PinyinChén Tuányīng
JyutpingCan4 Tyun4 Jing1
Hokkien POJTân Thoân-eng

Background and life

Tan was born in Penang and grew up in Kuala Lumpur.[1] He is of the Straits Chinese descent.[1] Tan speaks mainly English, Penang Hokkien, and some Cantonese.

Tan studied law at the University of London, and later worked as an advocate and solicitor in one of Kuala Lumpur's leading law firms before becoming a full-time writer.[2]

He has a first-dan ranking in aikido and lives in Malaysia.[3][4]

Career

His first novel, The Gift of Rain, published in 2007, was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. It is set in Penang before and during the Japanese occupation of Malaya in World War II. The Gift of Rain has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Greek, Romanian, Czech, Serbian, French, Russian and Hungarian.

His second novel, The Garden of Evening Mists, was published in 2012. It was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize[5] and won the Man Asian Literary Prize,[6][7] and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.[8][9] The novel was adapted into a film starring Hiroshi Abe, Lee Sin-je, John Hannah, David Oakes and Sylvia Chang, which was released in 2020.[10]

Tan has spoken at literary festivals, including the Singapore Writers Festival, the Ubud Writers Festival in Bali, the Asia Man Booker Festival in Hong Kong, the Shanghai International Literary Festival, the Perth Writers Festival, the Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne, Australia, the Franschhoek Literary Festival in South Africa, the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland, the George Town Literary Festival in Penang, the Head Read Literary Festival in Tallinn, and many more.

He is one of the judges of the International Booker Prize 2023, the first Malaysian author to be appointed that role.[11]

His 2023 novel, The House of Doors, was longlisted for the Booker Prize.[12]

Works

Awards

References
  1. Idar, Nicole. "An interview with Tan Twan Eng". Asymptote Journal. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  2. Tan Twan Eng Takes the Proust Seat | Litro
  3. Lee Jian Xuan (18 September 2016). "Malaysian writer Tan Twan Eng finds the human in the monster". The Straits Times. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  4. "Tan Twan Eng". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  5. "2012 shortlist announced | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  6. "Tan Twan Eng scoops Asia's top literary prize". Man Asian Prize website. 15 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  7. Lea, Richard (14 March 2013). "Tan Twan Eng wins Man Asian prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  8. "Shortlist for 2013 Walter Scott Prize Announced". Borders Book Festival. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  9. "Tan Twan Eng wins The Walter Scott Prize". Borders Book Festival. 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  10. Lifestyle, Noel Wong @ FMT (13 January 2020). "The Garden of Evening Mists: A heart-breaking Malaysian romance film". Free Malaysia Today (FMT). Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  11. "Announcing the 2023 International Booker Prize judges". 16 August 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  12. Wood, Heloise (1 August 2023). "Indie-heavy Booker longlist has record number of Irish writers for 2023". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  13. Smith, Lewis. "Tan Twan Eng wins Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction with The Garden of Evening Mists". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
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