Born in Taipei to Malaysian parents, Tash Aw grew up in Kuala Lumpur before moving to Britain to attend university. He is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, The Harmony Silk Factory (2005), Map of the Invisible World (2009), and Five Star Billionaire (2013), which have won the Whitbread First Novel Award, a regional Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and twice been longlisted for the Man Booker prize; they have also been translated into twenty-three languages. His short fiction has won an O. Henry Prize and been published in A Public Space and the landmark Granta 100, amongst others.
"Tash Aw's The Face, so wise and so well done, made me with it
were much longer than it is."
—Chimamanda Adichie, The Guardian's Best Books of
2016
"Aw digs deep into the meaning of this move, the meaning of
Chineseness in Malaysia, the meaning of inherited immigrant
markings, and the meaning of leaving the immigrant perspective
behind. He charts what it looks like to reprise history, to move
for greater opportunity and more education, leaving behind those
with less money and shedding the ancestral memory and choreography
of poverty. “
—Sharrona Pearl, Public Books
“Aw always writes well, but this small volume is particularly
lyrical. The extended essay format suits him: long enough for some
structure—the chronology is not linear, and he bounces from story
to social commentary to introspection—and to explore issues in
depth, while short enough for immediacy. He covers a tremendous
amount of ground.… Strangers on a Pier is a wealth of pithy
observation.… This is a well-rounded, complete short work that
should resonate particularly well with Asians who share Aw’s
multi-lingual, multi-cultural upbringing—and there are lots of
them. It would be an excellent text for sparking discussion in
whatever passes for social studies in Asian secondary schools.”
—Peter Gordon, Asian Review of Books
“What seems most compelling to Aw is the process of forgetting and
editing that can occur in diasporic movements...Aw is additionally
invested in rooting out what is forgotten, what one wants to erase
and to figure out why certain bonds become slack or covered over.
In this sense, Aw makes clear that his creative inspirations as a
writer and editor appear in seeing how relationships are determined
only to be later made unstable by a contextual force or power...
His approach to the work was more or less a narratively driven
memoir with a kind of philosophical flair.”
—Stephen Hong Sohn, Asian American Literature Fans
“Strangers is an intimate exploration of Aw’s past: he delves into
his family’s history, retracing the journey that brought his
grandfather to this country, exploring his father’s personal
history and reliving his own boyhood memories…. In the spaces of
his words, the echoes of regrets and unknown sacrifices of the past
linger; yet to be understood, but their presence felt and
acknowledged. Aw fills the pages with the nostalgia of bygone
years, probing the process that brought so many Malaysian Chinese
to where the current generation is today, geographically,
intellectually, culturally and socially…. Strangers On A Pier makes
for a mellifluous and poignant—albeit short—read, and one that will
provoke some soul-searching in Chinese Malaysians.... 9/10
mellifluous and poignant”
—Diana Yeong, Star 2
"The Face: Strangers on a Pier offer a unique and thought-provoking
perspective of a life lived out in interesting times, places, and
circumstances. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented,
The Face: Strangers on a Pier is very highly recommended,
especially for community and academic library collections.”
—Carl Logan, Midwest Book Review
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