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.
Early life and career Parker-Chan was born in New Zealand to a Malaysian-Chinese mother and a white father. 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 They were raised in Australia, where they felt disconnected with their racial identity and with the stereotypical representation of Asian characters in fiction. 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."
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, “Spotlight on Shelley Parker-Chan.”, in Locus Magazine. July 20, 2021. 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,‘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 before becoming a writer. Their interest in writing novels began with romantic fan fiction, and a desire for better queer representation in literature.
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. This was followed in 2023 by He Who Drowned the World, which concludes the Radiant Emperor duology.
Personal life Parker-Chan uses they/them pronouns, is queer and genderqueer, “Interview #205, Shelley Parker-Chan"; by Annie Zhang; in Liminal Magazine; published 12 September 2022. and was named after Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Fantasy Hive interview. “Interview With Shelley Parker-Chan (She Who Became the Sun).” By Bethan Hindmarch'; at Fantasy Hive. Published June 2022. As of 2023, they live in Melbourne, Australia.Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan, at Famous Writing Routines. March 30, 2023. They are married and have a daughter.
Awards Parker-Chan won the 2022 Astounding Award for Best New Writer and the British Fantasy Award (the Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer). “Shelley Parker-Chan Wins British Fantasy Award.”, in Starburst; published September 18, 2022. Year Work Award Category Result Ref2021She Who Became the SunAurealis AwardFantasy NovelGoodreads Choice AwardsDebut NovelFantasy Indie Next List August — Otherwise Award — 2022Astounding Award— British Book Award Debut Book of the Year British Fantasy Award Fantasy Novel(Robert Holdstock Award) Newcomer (Sydney J. Bounds Award) Ditmar Award Novel Dragon Award Alternate History Novel Hugo Award Novel Lambda Literary Award Transgender Fiction Locus AwardFirst Novel2023He Who Drowned the WorldIndie Next List?— 2024 Dragon Award Fantasy Novel Locus Award Fantasy Novel
Bibliography
The Radiant Emperor Duology
References
External links Official website