Robert Olen Butler Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2005) Nominee
Charles Yu
チャールズ・ユウ
Chāruzu Yū
Aliases:
Charles Chowkai Yu / 游朝凱
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1976-01-03 （Los Angeles, California, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States, Taiwanese-American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Los Angeles, California → Near Irvine, California
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Novelist, Short story writer, Attorney
- Active Years
- 2002-
- Affiliations
- Sullivan & Cromwell, Bryan Cave, Digital Domain, Belkin International
- Influenced By
- Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, Jonathan Lethem
- Nominations
- Writers Guild of America Award 2017 (Drama Series, New Series) - Westworld
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Berkeley | — | Molecular and Cellular Biology | BS | — | United States |
| Columbia Law School | — | Law | JD | — | United States |
University of California, Berkeley
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Degree:
BS
Year of Graduation:
1997
Country:
United States
Minor in creative writing
Columbia Law School
Law
Degree:
JD
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | National Book Award for Fiction | Interior Chinatown | Fiction | National Book Foundation | Winner |
| 2005 | Robert Olen Butler Prize | My Last Days As Me | — | — | Winner |
| 2004 | Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award | Third Class Superhero | — | Mid-American Review | Winner |
National Book Award for Fiction
2020
Work:
Interior Chinatown
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Winner
Robert Olen Butler Prize
2005
Work:
My Last Days As Me
Result:
Winner
Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award
2004
Work:
Third Class Superhero
Organization:
Mid-American Review
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
2010 Science fiction 239 pagesA time machine repairman navigates time travel and his relationship with his father in a science fictional universe.
Time travelFamilyIdentity
Adaptations
- [Film] / Chris Columbus
Interior Chinatown
2020 Literary fiction 298 pagesA screenplay-format novel satirizing Hollywood typecasting and Asian American stereotypes, following Willis Wu's quest to break free from 'Generic Asian Man' roles.
Asian American identityStereotypesHollywoodModel minority myth
Adaptations
- [TV series] Interior Chinatown (2024)
Third Class Superhero
2006 Short story collection 256 pagesA collection of satirical short stories featuring superheroes and everyday absurdities.
SuperheroesSatire
Sorry Please Thank You
2012 Short story collection 244 pagesExperimental short stories exploring loneliness, technology, and modern life.
LonelinessTechnologyExperimental fiction
Bibliography
- How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (2010)
- Interior Chinatown (2020)
- Third Class Superhero (2006)
- Sorry Please Thank You (2012)
Adaptations
- Interior Chinatown TV series (Hulu, 2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- ExperimentalScreenplay formatSatiricalMetafiction
- Recurring Motifs
- IdentityImmigrant experienceTechnology and lonelinessAsian American experience
Legacy
Known for science fiction and experimental fiction exploring Asian American identity, won National Book Award for Fiction. Also TV writer.
In Popular Culture
- Interior Chinatown adapted into Hulu series
Trivia
- Raised in a Taiwanese American family.
- Brother is actor/TV writer Kelvin Yu.