Yasuko Nguyen Thanh (born June 30, 1971) is a Canadian writer and guitarist. She has lived in Canada,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, Germany, and

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and she was named one of ten

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

Books' writers to watch in 2013.CBC Books' Writers to Watch in 2013
/ref> Thanh completed a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Masters of Fine Arts from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

. She performs with the bands Jukebox Jezebel and 12 Gauge Facial, and lives with her two children in Victoria, British Columbia.

Early life

She was born in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, to a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

mother and a

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

father. At age 15, Thanh dropped out of school and lived on the streets. Previous to winning the Journey Prize for her short story ''Floating Like the Dead'' in 2009, Thanh earned her living as a busker in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

.Writers' Trust Interviews Yasuko Thanh
/ref>

Writing

Thanh's first novel ''Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains'' was published in 2016 by Hamish Hamilton, Penguin, Canada. The novel won the 2016

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers ...

. Thanh's short story collection, ''Floating Like the Dead'' (

McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. ...

2012), which includes the Journey Prize-winning title story, was on ''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

s list of best books of 2012.Quill & Quire Best Books of 2012 , ''Floating Like the Dead''
/ref> The ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'' wrote that "Yasuko Thanh impresses above all with the thematic complexity of her approach."''Floating Like the Dead''
''

'', April 13, 2012. Her early work was published in literary journals such as '' Prairie Fire'', ''

Descant A descant, discant, or is any of several different things in music, depending on the period in question; etymologically, the word means a voice (''cantus'') above or removed from others. The ''Harvard Dictionary of Music'' states: A descant ...

'', ''Fireweed'', ''

The Fiddlehead ''The Fiddlehead'' is a Canadian literary magazine, published four times annually at the University of New Brunswick. It is the oldest Canadian literary magazine which is still in circulation. History and profile ''The Fiddlehead'' was establ ...

'' and ''

PRISM International ''Prism International'' (styled ''PRISM international'') is a magazine published quarterly in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1959, it is Western Canada's senior literary magazine. The magazine was started with name ''Prism'' ...

''. Her newest book, the memoir ''Mistakes to Run With'', was published in April 2019. Thanh is in the process of completing her second novel, tentatively titled, ''Teddy's Blow Off Attraction,'' which is based on the life and relationships of Julia Pastrana.Author Spotlight , Yasuko Thanh
/ref>

Awards

The short story "Floating Like the Dead" earned Thanh the 2009

Journey Prize The Journey Prize (officially called The Writers' Trust of Canada McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize) is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by McClelland and Stewart and the Writers' Trust of Canada for the best short stories published b ...

. The book ''Floating Like the Dead'' (2012) was nominated for the

Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, established in 1985 as one of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, is awarded annually to the best work of fiction by a resident of British Columbia, Canada. The award is named after novelist and short story A short ...

, BC's award for best fictionThe Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize 2013
/ref> and was shortlisted for the sixteenth annual

Danuta Gleed Literary Award The Danuta Gleed Literary Award is a Canadian national literary prize, awarded since 1998. It recognizes the best debut short fiction collection by a Canadian author in English language. The annual prize was founded by John Gleed in honour of his ...

.Danuta Gleed Literary Awards
/ref> Thanh was also a finalist for the David Adams Richards Prize from the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick, the

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study a ...

' Future Generations Millennium Prize, and the Hudson Prize.Salty Ink Pitch and Plug with Journey Prize Winner Yasuko Thanh
/ref> The short story "Spring-blade Knife" from ''Floating Like The Dead'' won the 2013 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short Story."Spring-blade Knife" wins[Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short Story
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thanh, Yasuko 1971 births Living people Writers from Victoria, British Columbia University of Victoria alumni Canadian women novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian writers of Asian descent Canadian people of Vietnamese descent Canadian people of German descent 21st-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian memoirists Canadian women memoirists Novelists from British Columbia