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Shelley Parker-Chan

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Shelley Parker-Chan is a non-binary, Australian fantasy novelist best known for their debut novel, She Who Became the Sun and its sequel, He Who Drowned the World, which form The Radiant Emperor Duology.[1]

Early life and career

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Parker-Chan was born in New Zealand to a Malaysian-Chinese mother and a white father.[2] They were raised in Australia, where they felt disconnected with their racial identity and with the stereotypical representation of Asian characters in fiction.[3] They say in interview: "I was raised very much by a tiger parent in a part of Adelaide with a large Chinese, Malaysian and Southeast Asian Chinese population. I was a scholarship kid and I went to a posh private school where my peers were all the offspring of doctors and lawyers, and I was pushed to also become a doctor or lawyer and achieve high results. So I feel I grew up in a very classically second- generation middle-class Asian way, but I was definitely not perceived as Asian."[4]

When they moved to Asia as a young adult, they discovered Asian dramas, and began to understand that "...Asians could be any and every kind of character: the heroes, the villains, the love interests, warriors, scholars."

They did graduate work on the subjects of war crimes and restorative justice,[5] and worked as a diplomat, representing the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Timor-Leste, and as an international development adviser for gender equality and LGBTQ rights in Indonesia,[6]before becoming a writer. Their interest in writing novels began with romantic fan fiction, and a desire for better queer representation in literature.[7]

In 2021, Mantle Books published She Who Became the Sun, which became a Sunday Times Number 1 bestseller, won several awards, and has been translated into 15 languages.[8] This was followed in 2023 by He Who Drowned the World, which concludes the Radiant Emperor duology.

Personal life

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Parker-Chan uses they/them pronouns, is queer and genderqueer,[9][6] and was named after Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.[10]As of 2023, they live in Melbourne, Australia.[11] They are married and have a daughter.[2]

Awards

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Parker-Chan won the 2022 Astounding Award for Best New Writer[12] and the British Fantasy Award (the Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer).[13]

Year Work Award Category Result Ref
2021 She Who Became the Sun Aurealis Award Fantasy Novel Shortlisted [14]
Goodreads Choice Awards Debut Novel Nominated—6th [15]
Fantasy Nominated—4th [16][17]
Indie Next List August —
Otherwise Award — Honor List
2022 Astounding Award — Won
British Book Award Debut Book of the Year Shortlisted
British Fantasy Award Fantasy Novel (Robert Holdstock Award) Won [13][18]
Newcomer (Sydney J. Bounds Award) Won [13][18]
Ditmar Award Novel Shortlisted
Dragon Award Alternate History Novel Shortlisted
Hugo Award Novel Shortlisted [19]
Lambda Literary Award Transgender Fiction Shortlisted [20]
Locus Award First Novel Nominated—2nd [21]
2023 He Who Drowned the World Indie Next List ? —
2024 Dragon Award Fantasy Novel Shortlisted
Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated

Biblio

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The Radiant Emperor Duology

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  • She Who Became the Sun. Pan. 2021. ISBN 978-1529043402.
  • He Who Drowned the World. Pan. 2023. ISBN 978-1529043457.

References

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  1. ^ https://famouswritingroutines.com/interviews/interview-with-shelley-parker-chan/ Famous Writing Routines. Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan: “Absorb the vibe through osmosis.” March 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b South China Morning Post. 'Keanu Reeves was all we had': literary fantasy author Shelley Parker Chan on growing up without role models as a queer Asian kid in Australia., by James Kidd, in the South China Morning Post; published November 20, 2021; retrieved August 21, 2023
  3. ^ Kirichanskaya, Michele (2023-09-01). "Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun". Geeks OUT. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  4. ^ "Interview #205 — Shelley Parker-Chan". LIMINAL. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  5. ^ “Spotlight on Shelley Parker-Chan.”, in Locus Magazine. July 20, 2021.
  6. ^ a b ‘Everyone is going to be gay and terrible’: The first Australian novel nominated for a Hugo, by Kat Wong, in the Sydney Morning Herald; published May 2, 2022; retrieved May 27, 2023
  7. ^ "Interview #205 — Shelley Parker-Chan". LIMINAL. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  8. ^ Kirichanskaya, Michele (2023-09-01). "Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun". Geeks OUT. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  9. ^ “Interview #205, Shelley Parker-Chan"; by Annie Zhang; in Liminal Magazine; published 12 September 2022.
  10. ^ Fantasy Hive interview. “Interview With Shelley Parker-Chan (She Who Became the Sun).” By Bethan Hindmarch'; at Fantasy Hive. Published June 2022.
  11. ^ Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan, at Famous Writing Routines. March 30, 2023.
  12. ^ "2022 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2022-09-04. Archived from the original on 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  13. ^ a b c “Shelley Parker-Chan Wins British Fantasy Award.”, in Starburst; published September 18, 2022.
  14. ^ aaconvenor (6 April 2022). "2021 Aurealis Awards Shortlist Announcement". Aurealis Awards. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Best Debut Novel 2021". Goodreads. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  16. ^ Wong, Kat (2 May 2022). "'Everyone is going to be gay and terrible': The first Australian novel nominated for a Hugo". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Best Fantasy 2021". Goodreads. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  18. ^ a b "British Fantasy Awards 2022: Winners announced". The British Fantasy Society. 17 Sep 2022.
  19. ^ "2022 Hugo Award Finalists Announced". The Hugo Awards. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  20. ^ "Current Finalists". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  21. ^ "2022 Locus Awards Winners". Locus. 25 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
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