Amy Tan

Infobox Writer


imagesize =
name = Amy Tan


caption =
pseudonym =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1952|02|19|mf=y
birthplace = Oakland, California, United States
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Writer
nationality = American
genre = novel
subject =
movement =
notableworks =
influences =
influenced =


website = http://www.amytan.net

Amy Tan (Chinese: 譚恩美; pinyin: Tán Enmei) (born February 19, 1952) is an American writer of Chinese descent whose works explore mother-daughter relationships. In 1993, Tan's adaptation of her most popular fiction work, "The Joy Luck Club", became a commercially successful film.

Tan has written several other books, including "The Kitchen God's Wife", "The Hundred Secret Senses", and "The Bonesetter's Daughter", and a collection of non-fiction essays entitled "The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings". Her most recent book, "Saving Fish From Drowning", explores the tribulations experienced by a group of people who disappear while on an art expedition into the jungles of Burma. In addition, Tan has written two children's books: "The Moon Lady" (1992) and "Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat" (1994), which was turned into an animated series airing on PBS. She has also appeared on PBS in a short spot on encouraging children to write.

Tan received her bachelors and master's degrees in English and linguistics from San José State University. [cite web | url = http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tan0bio-1 | title = Amy Tan Biography | accessdate = 2008-07-19 ]

Currently, she is the literary editor for "West", Los Angeles Times' Sunday magazine, and did an uncredited rewrite on The Replacement Killers at the request of Mira Sorvino. She is a resident of Sausalito, California.

She is a member of the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock and roll band consisting of published writers, including Barbara Kingsolver, Matt Groening, Dave Barry and Stephen King, among others.

Criticism

Though her works have been widely praised by critics, some, like "The Joy Luck Club", have been criticized by noted Asian American author Frank Chin for perpetuating racist stereotypes. [ [http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hb-jKArjedIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA133&dq=%22Chin%22+%22Come+All+Ye+Asian+American+Writers+of+the+Real+and+the+Fake%27%22+&ots=Tt8RO6Yjry&sig=DjQdMU0-PMJiqk8894oVEx3aDhg Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and the Fake] ] [ [http://www.eskimo.com/~webguy/writings/joysucks.html The Joy Luck Club] ] [ [http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.movies.reviews/msg/9455e65126606190 Review: The Joy Luck Club] ]

Awards

* 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
* New York Times Notable Book
* Booklist Editors Choice
* Finalist for the Orange Prize
* Nominated for the Orange Prize
* Nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Award
* Audie Award: Best Non-fiction, Abridged
* Emmy Award
* Parents Choice, Best Television Program for Children
* Shortlisted BAFTA Film award, best screenplay adaptation
* Shortlisted WGA Award, best screenplay adaptation
* Grammy
* She won a Pie eating contest in Germany (3 pies in under 10 minutes)

Quotes

* "I think books were my salvation, they saved me from being miserable." [http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tan0int-2]
* "I'm sitting in the $4.95 bookstore bleachers along with Shakespeare, Conrad and Joyce," she said. "I acknowledge that there is a fundamental difference that separates us. I am a contemporary author and they are not. And since I'm not dead yet, I can talk back." ("The Opposite of Fate" 10) [ [http://www.amytan.net/ATBiography.aspx Biography of Amy Tan] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.amytan.net/ Amy Tan Home Page]
* [http://www.barclayagency.com/tan.html Official agency page]
*
* [http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/250 Amy Tan at TED Conference]
* [http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=444 Amy Tan talks about her book Saving Fish From Drowning]
* [http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tan0int-2 Amy Tan interview on Academy of Achievement]
* [http://www.canlyme.com/amy.html "Amy Tan, Ticked Off About Lyme"] Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation reprint of article by J.J. McCoy, "Washington Post", August 5, 2003, retrieved March 16, 2006

Cain, William E. American Literature Volume 2. Penguin Academics. New York.