Tan Twan Eng

Writer

Tan Twan Eng was born in Penang in 1972 and grew up in Kuala Lumpur. As a Malaysian novelist who writes in English, he is best known for his 2012 book The Garden of Evening Mists which won the Man Asian Literary Prize and Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, making Tan the first Malaysian to be recognised by all three awards. The novel was also adapted into an award-winning film in 2020.

Tan studied law at the University of London, and later worked as an advocate and solicitor in one of Kuala Lumpur’s leading law firms before becoming a full-time writer. Tan has spoken at literary festivals around the world and is one of the judges of the International Booker Prize 2023, the first Malaysian author to be appointed that role.