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Amy Tan
Born in the U.S. to immigrant
parents from China, Amy Tan is a bestselling fiction writer whose
novels include The Joy Luck Club; The Kitchen Gods Wife;
The Hundred Secret Senses; The Bonesetters 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 childrens books, The
Moon Lady and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat and numerous articles
for magazines, including The New Yorker, Harpers Bazaar,
and National Geographic. Her work has been translated into 35
languages.
Ms. Tan served as co-producer
and co-screenwriter for the film adaptation of The Joy Luck Club.
She was also the creative consultant for Sagwa, the Emmy-nominated
PBS television series for children. Her story in the New Yorker,
Immortal Heart, was performed on stages throughout
the U.S. and in France. Her essays and stories are found in hundreds
of anthologies and textbooks. She appeared as herself in the
animated series The Simpsons. She has also performed
as narrator with the San Francisco Symphony and the Hollywood
Bowl Orchestra playing an original score for Sagwa
by composer Nathan Wang.
The National Endowment for the
Arts has chosen The Joy Luck Club for its 2007 Big Read
program. Her current work includes writing a new novel and creating
the libretto for The Bonesetters Daughter, which will have
its world premiere in September 2008 with the San Francisco Opera.
Ms Tans 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. |