Born in the US to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan failed her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She settled on writing fiction. Her novels are The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and Saving Fish from Drowning, all New York Times bestsellers and the recipient of various awards. She is also the author of a memoir, The Opposite of Fate, two children’s books, The Moon Lady and Sagwa, and numerous articles for magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper’s Bazaar, and National Geographic . Her work has been translated into 35 languages, from Spanish, French, and Finnish to Chinese, Arabic, and Hebrew.
Ms Tan served as Co-producer and Co-screenwriter with Ron Bass for the film adaptation of The Joy Luck Club. She was the Creative Consultant for Sagwa, the Emmy-nominated television series for children, which has aired worldwide, including in the UK, Latin America, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Her story in the New Yorker , "Immortal Heart," was performed on stages throughout the US and in France. Her essays and stories are found in hundreds of anthologies and textbooks, and they are assigned as "required reading" in many high schools and universities. She appeared as herself in the animated series "The Simpsons." She performed as narrator with the San Francisco Symphony and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra playing an original score for "Sagwa" by composer Nathan Wang.
Ms Tan has lectured internationally at universities, including Stanford, Oxford, Jagellonium, Beijing, and Georgetown both in Washington DC and Doha, Qatar. The National Endowment for the Arts has chosen The Joy Luck Club for its 2007 "Big Read" program. Ms Tan also serves as the Literary Editor for the Los Angeles Times magazine, West .
Her current work includes writing a new novel and creating the libretto for The Bonesetter’s Daughter , which premieres in September 2008 with the San Francisco Opera. Ms Tan’s other musical work for the stage is limited to serving as lead rhythm dominatrix, backup singer, and second tambourine with the literary garage band, the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose members include Stephen King, Dave Barry, and Scott Turow. In spite of their dubious talent, their yearly gigs have managed to raise over a million dollars for literacy programs.
Awards
Joy Luck Club
- finalist National Book Award
- finalist National Book Critics Circle Award
- finalist Los Angeles Time Fiction Prize
- Bay Area Book Reviewers Award
- Commonwealth Gold Award
- American Library Associations's Notable Books
- American Library Association's Best Book for Young Adults
- selected for the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read
Kitchen God's Wife
- New York Times Notable Book
- American Library Association Notable Book
- Booklist Editors Choice
Hundred Secret Senses
- finalist for the Orange Prize
Bonesetter's Daughter
- nominated for the Orange Prize
- New York Times Notable Book
- nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Award
Opposite of Fate
- New York Times Notable Book
- Audie Award: Best Non-fiction, Abridged
- Booklist Editors Choice
Saving Fish from Drowning
- nominated for IMPAC Dublin Award
- Booklist Editors' Choice
Sagwa animated series for PBS
- Emmy Award
- Parents Choice, Best Television Program for Children
Film: Joy Luck Club
- shortlisted BAFTA Film award, best screenplay adaptation
- shortlisted WGA Award, best screenplay adaptation
