Tan Twan Eng is the Malaysian author of The Gift of Rain (long listed for the Booker Prize) and The Garden of Evening Mists (shortlisted for the Booker and winner of the 2013 Man Asian Literary Prize). He is the closing guest at the Asia House Festival of Asian Literature in London this year. AGI is proud to feature this exclusive interview with him.
AGI: I see that you studied law in London and became a lawyer in Kuala Lumpur before you became a full-time writer. How and why did you make that transition? Did you start out writing short stories, or was The Gift of Rain your first published work?
TTE: I studied law through the University of London’s external degree program, not in London. I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I was a child, but I had to be realistic as I knew it was difficult to make a living as novelist. I chose law as it’s a profession in which I could work with the nuances of language every day, where I could hone my feeling for words and sentences. After working as a lawyer for 2 years, I decided to take a year off to complete a master’s degree. I made use of my free time and wrote the first draft of The Gift of Rain. This later became my first published work. I’d written a couple of short stories, but I’d never showed them to anyone.
Both of your novels so far (The Gift of Rain and The Garden of Evening Mists) involve the history of Malaysia/Malaya and revolve around a central Japanese character. Is there any particular reason for this?
The Japanese Occupation of Malaya signaled the end of the British Empire in Asia. It was one of the greatest upheavals in Malaysia’s past. Through the relationships between my characters I explore how such times of great uncertainty and change affect people’s lives.
Is English your first language? If not, then why did you choose to write your books in English, and is it easier for you to express yourself in that language?
I speak Malay, Cantonese and Hokkien, but I write in English as it’s the language I read, think and dream in.
Are you surprised at the reception your novels have received, winning awards such as the Man Asian Literary Prize and being on the Man Booker Prize list twice?
Very much so! Malaysia is not well-represented in the literary world, and to have had this reaction with readers and reviewers around the world is heartwarming. Winning the Man Asian Literary Prize was a complete surprise and I’m extremely grateful for the honour. It was quite a poignant evening for me walking up to receive the award, because it was the last time it would be known as the Man Asian Literary Prize.
The epigraphs (quotes) at the beginning of both your books mention memory. That seems to be one of your main themes. What is it about memory that you think is so important?
The way we remember, interpret and revise memory makes us human. In ‘The Garden of Evening Mists’ Yun Ling, the narrator says, ‘For what is a person without memories? A ghost, caught between worlds, without an identity, with no future, no past.’
Can you tell us a little about your life in South Africa and what are you working on at the moment?
It’s a sedate and home-centric life. I try to keep to my writing routine every day except on the weekends. There are many literary events happening every week – book launches, talks, but I hardly ever attend them, or go out at night. Now and again I’ll attend a concert – the most recent one was a performance of Lucia di Lammermoor, conducted by Richard Bonynge and with the South African soprano Pretty Yende. She took the role of Lucia to new heights and gave it sense of immediacy and freshness.
I’m working on my third novel, but would prefer to talk about it only when it’s published.
Tan Twan Eng will be appearing at the Asia House Festival of Asian Literature tonight, 22nd May 2013. He will be speaking about his latest book The Garden of Evening Mists
Interviewed by Tim Holm
