use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality = Malaysian , other_names = , citizenship = , education =

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

, alma_mater =

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, occupation =

Novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, years_active = 2007–present , era = , employer = , organization = , agent = , known_for = , notable_works = , style = , height = , television = , title = , term = , predecessor = , party = , movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charge = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse = , partner = , children = , parents = , mother = , father = , relatives = , family = , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Tan Twan Eng (, b. 1972) is a Malaysian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

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 ''The Garden of Evening Mists'' is the second English-language novel by Malaysian novelist Tan Twan Eng, first published in November 2011. The book follows protagonist Teoh Yun Ling, who was a prisoner of the Japanese during the World War II, a ...

'' which won the

Man Asian Literary Prize The Man Asian Literary Prize was an annual literary award between 2007 and 2012, given to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and published in the previous calendar year. It is awarded to write ...

and Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and was shortlisted for the

Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

, making Tan the first Malaysian to be recognised by all three awards.

Background and life

Tan was born in Penang and grew up in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

. Tan attended a school in

Petaling The Petaling District is a district located in the heart of Selangor in Malaysia. Petaling is not to be confused with the city of Petaling Jaya located in it, nor the ''mukim'' of Petaling under Subang Jaya City. The district office is located i ...

Jaya, where teachers used a cane to discipline the children for speaking in class or failing to do homework. He is of the

Straits Chinese The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British, Portuguese, and Dutch colonial ports i ...

descent. Tan speaks mainly

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, Penang

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

, and some

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

. Tan studied law at the

and later worked as an advocate and solicitor in

intellectual property law Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, ...

in one of Kuala Lumpur's leading law firms before becoming a full-time writer. He has a first-dan ranking in

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

and lives in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Career

His first novel, '' The Gift of Rain'', published in 2007, was long-listed for the

. It is set in

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

before and during the

Japanese occupation of Malaya Malaya, then under British administration,, was gradually occupied by Japanese forces between 8 December 1941 and the Allied surrender at Singapore on 15 February 1942. The Japanese remained in occupation until their surrender to the Allie ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. ''The Gift of Rain'' has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Greek, Romanian, Czech, Serbian, French, Russian and Hungarian. His second novel, ''

'', was published in 2012. It was shortlisted for the

2012 Man Booker Prize The 2012 Booker Prize for Fiction was awarded on 16 October 2012. A longlist of twelve titles was announced on 25 July, and these were narrowed down to a shortlist of six titles, announced on 11 September. The jury was chaired by Sir Peter Stotha ...

and won the

, and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. The novel was adapted into a film starring Hiroshi Abe, Lee Sin-je, John Hannah,

David Oakes Rowan David Oakes (born 14 October 1983) is an English actor and environmentalist. He is best known for his roles in the series ''The Pillars of the Earth (miniseries), The Pillars of the Earth'', ''The Borgias (2011 TV series), The Borgias'', ...

and

Sylvia Chang Sylvia Chang (born 21 July 1953) is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese actress, singer, director, screenwriter, and producer. Early life Chang was born in Chiayi County, Chiayi, Taiwan. She dropped out of school when she was 16 and started her career ...

, which was released in 2020. Tan has spoken at literary festivals, including the

Singapore Writers Festival The Singapore Writers Festival is a literary event organised by the National Arts Council. Inaugurated in 1986, the festival serves a dual function of promoting new and emerging Singaporean and Asian writing to an international audience, as well ...

, the

Ubud Writers Festival Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) is an annual four-day literary festival held every October in Ubud on the island of Bali, Indonesia. Established in 2004, it is considered Southeast Asia’s biggest and most meaningful literary Festival. ...

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

, the Asia Man Booker Festival in Hong Kong, the Shanghai International Literary Festival, the

Perth Writers Festival Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural Arts festival, festival, held annually in Western Australia. The p ...

, the

Abbotsford Convent The Abbotsford Convent is located in Abbotsford, Victoria, an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The Convent is in a bend of the Yarra River west of Yarra Bend Park, with the Collingwood Children's Farm to its north and east, the river ...

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 The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize, as the Boo ...

2023, the first Malaysian author to be appointed to that role. His 2023 novel, '' The House of Doors'', was longlisted for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

and shortlisted for the 2024

Walter Scott Prize The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010.Walter S ...

Works

* '' The Gift of Rain'' (2007) * ''

'' (2011) * '' The House of Doors'' (2023)

Awards

(2012) * £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction (2013)

References

External links

"An interview with Tan Twan Eng"
''BookBrowse''. * * Bernard Wilson
Trapped Between Worlds': The Function of Memory, History and Body in the Fiction of Tan Twan Eng"
''Asiatic'', Vol. 12/2, 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Twan Eng 1972 births 21st-century Malaysian people 21st-century male writers 21st-century novelists Alumni of the University of London Living people Malaysian aikidoka Malaysian male writers Malaysian novelists Malaysian people of Chinese descent Malaysian people of Hokkien descent People from George Town, Penang Peranakan people in Malaysia University of Cape Town alumni Walter Scott Prize winners