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Amy Tan (Chinese: 譚杩美; pinyin: Tán Ēnměi; born February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships and what it means to grow up as a first generation Asian American. Tan's most popular fiction work, The Joy Luck Club, became a blockbuster movie; she wrote the screenplay for the film 2025.
She has written several other books, including The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses and The Bonesetter's Daughter, and a collection of non-fiction essays entitled The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings. Her newest book Saving Fish From Drowning, explores the tribulations experienced by a group of people who disappear while on an art expedition into the jungles of Burma. In addition, she has written two children's books The Moon Lady (1992) and The Chinese Siamese Cat (1994). She has appeared in a short spot on PBS encouraging children to write. Tan authored the screenplay for the film version of The Joy Luck Club.
Born in Oakland, California to Chinese immigrants John (a Baptist minister) and Daisy (a Shanghai nurse). Tan was fourteen when their father and elder brother died of brain tumours. With her mother and younger brother Peter, Tan moved to Montreux, Switzerland shortly afterward. As a teenager, Tan experienced many cross cultural conflicts with her mother. One incident involved her mother setting up a police sting that netted Tan's boyfriend, a suspected drug dealer. She received a master's degree in linguistics at San José State University and her first job was as a children's speech therapist.
Tan's mother Daisy witnessed her mother committing suicide. Tan believed that her grandmother, her mother and herself all suffered from depression. Tan currently takes Zoloft to treat her bouts of serious depression [1]. In 1985, after her psychiatrist fell asleep for the third time during one of their sessions, Tan quit therapy and took up fiction writing instead.
Since turning 40, Tan has been a member of the literary garage band Rock Bottom Remainders with Dave Barry and Stephen King, who dedicated his non-fiction book On Writing to her. Along with King, she appeared in an episode of The Simpsons called Insane Clown Poppy.
She has been married to Louis DeMattei since 1974. They live in the San Francisco Bay area with their pets.
Tan has suffered from neurological Lyme disease since 1999, a struggle she has chronicled on her website[2] and in interviews with the media[3]. She has become an outspoken advocate on behalf of patients with the disease.
Selected works
- The Joy Luck Club, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1989.
- The Kitchen God's Wife, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1991.
- The Moon Lady, Maxwell Macmillan International, 1992.
- Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, Aladdin, 1994.
- The Hundred Secret Senses, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1995.
- The Bonesetter's Daughter, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2001.
- The Opposite of Fate, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2003.
- Saving Fish from Drowning, G. P. Putnam's Sons Adult (October 18, 2005).
References
Quotes
- "I think books were my salvation, they saved me from being miserable."
External links
de:Amy Tan
es:Amy Tan
ja:エイミ・タン
pl:Amy Tan
pt:Amy Tan
ro:Amy Tan
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