Tan Twan Eng

Malaysian writer (born 1972)

In this Chinese name, the family name is  Tan.

Tan Twan Eng

陳團英

Born| 1972 (age 51-52)

George Town, Penang, Malaysia

Nationality| Malaysian
Education| Bachelor of Laws
Alma mater| University of London
Occupation| Novelist
Years active| 2007–present
Notable work|

* The Gift of Rain
* The Garden of Evening Mists

Website| www.tantwaneng.com

Tan Twan Eng

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese| 陳團英
Hanyu Pinyin| Chén Tuányīng
Jyutping| Can4 Tyun4 Jing1
Hokkien POJ| Tân Thoân-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.

## Background and life

[edit]

Tan was born in Penang and grew up in Kuala Lumpur.[1]

Tan attended a school in Petaling Jaya, where teachers used a cane to discipline the children for speaking in class or failing to do homework.[2]

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 intellectual property law in one of Kuala Lumpur's leading law firms before becoming a full-time writer.[3][4]

He has a first-dan ranking in aikido and lives in Malaysia.[5][6]

## Career

[edit]

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[7] and won the Man Asian Literary Prize,[8][9] and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.[10][11] 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.[12]

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.[citation needed]

He is one of the judges of the International Booker Prize 2023, the first Malaysian author to be appointed to that role.[13]

His 2023 novel, The House of Doors, was longlisted for the Booker Prize[14] and shortlisted for the 2024 Walter Scott Prize.[15]

## Works

[edit]

* The Gift of Rain (2007)
* The Garden of Evening Mists (2011)
* The House of Doors (2023) [16][17][18]

## Awards

[edit]

* Man Asian Literary Prize (2012)[9]
* £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction (2013)[19]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Idar, Nicole. "An interview with Tan Twan Eng". Asymptote Journal. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
2. ^ "An interview with Tan Twan Eng - Asymptote". www.asymptotejournal.com. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
3. ^ Tan Twan Eng Takes the Proust Seat | Litro
4. ^ "Tan Twan Eng - Literature". literature.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
5. ^ Lee Jian Xuan (18 September 2016). "Malaysian writer Tan Twan Eng finds the human in the monster". The Straits Times. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
6. ^ "Tan Twan Eng". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
7. ^ "2012 shortlist announced | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
8. ^ "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.
9. ^ a b Lea, Richard (14 March 2013). "Tan Twan Eng wins Man Asian prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
10. ^ "Shortlist for 2013 Walter Scott Prize Announced". Borders Book Festival. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
11. ^ "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.
12. ^ 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.
13. ^ "Announcing the 2023 International Booker Prize judges". 16 August 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
14. ^ Wood, Heloise (1 August 2023). "Indie-heavy Booker longlist has record number of Irish writers for 2023". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
15. ^ "Walter Scott Prize 2024 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
16. ^ "'The House of Doors' by Tan Twan Eng explores frustrated love on a diverse island". NPR. 23 October 2023.
17. ^ Wood, James (6 November 2023). "When the World's Most Famous Writer Visits a Hotbed of Amorous Intrigue". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
18. ^ Brooks, Xan (11 May 2023). "The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng review – tragedy in the tropics". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
19. ^ 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.

## External links

[edit]

* "An interview with Tan Twan Eng", BookBrowse.
* David C.L. Lim. "Agency and the Pedagogy of Japanese Colonialism in Tan Twan Eng's The Gift of Rain". `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
* Bernard Wilson, "'Trapped Between Worlds': The Function of Memory, History and Body in the Fiction of Tan Twan Eng", Asiatic, Vol. 12/2, 2018

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