Yasuko Thanh
| Yasuko Thanh | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 30, 1971 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Occupation | novelist, short story writer |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Period | 2010s-present |
| Notable works | Floating Like the Dead |
Yasuko Nguyen Thanh is a Canadian writer and guitarist born June 30, 1971 in Victoria, British Columbia. She has lived in Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Latin America and she was named one of ten CBC Books' writers to watch in 2013.[1] Thanh completed a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria. She is currently writing her first novel, performs with the bands Jukebox Jezebel and 12 Gauge Facial, and lives with her husband, Hank Angel, and her two children in Victoria, BC.
Early life
She was born in Victoria, BC, to a German mother and a Vietnamese father. At 15, Thanh dropped out of school and lived on the streets. Previous to winning the Journey Prize for her short story Floating Like the Dead in 2009, Thanh earned her living as a busker in Vancouver.[2]
Writing
Thanh's first novel Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains is forthcoming from Hamish Hamilton, Penguin, Canada. Thanh is in the process of completing her second novel, tentatively titled, Teddy's Blow Off Attraction, which is based on the life and relationships of Julia Pastrana.[3]
Thanh's short story collection, Floating Like the Dead (McClelland & Stewart 2012), which includes the Journey Prize-winning title story, was on Quill & Quire's list of best books of 2012.[4] The National Post wrote that "Yasuko Thanh impresses above all with the thematic complexity of her approach."[5]
Her early work was published in literary journals such as Prairie Fire, Descant, Fireweed, The Fiddlehead and PRISM International.[2]
Awards
The short story "Floating Like the Dead" earned Thanh the 2009 Journey Prize. The book Floating Like the Dead (2012) was nominated for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, BC's award for best fiction[6] and was shortlisted for the sixteenth annual Danuta Gleed Literary Award.[7] Thanh was also a finalist for the David Adams Richards Prize from the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick, the Canada Council for the Arts' Future Generations Millennium Prize, and the Hudson Prize.[8] The short story "Spring-blade Knife" from Floating Like The Dead won the 2013 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short Story.[9]
References
- ↑ CBC Books' Writers to Watch in 2013
- 1 2 Writers' Trust Interviews Yasuko Thanh
- ↑ Author Spotlight | Yasuko Thanh
- ↑ Quill & Quire Best Books of 2012 | Floating Like the Dead
- ↑ Floating Like the Dead. National Post, April 13, 2012.
- ↑ The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize 2013
- ↑ Danuta Gleed Literary Awards
- ↑ Salty Ink Pitch and Plug with Journey Prize Winner Yasuko Thanh
- ↑ "Spring-blade Knife" wins Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short Story