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Edition 6 (2003) Readers' Choice
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Edition 11 (2008) Readers' Choice
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Edition 14 (2011) Readers' Choice
Ed Lin
エド・リン
Ed Lin
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- New York City, USA
- Nationality
- American, Taiwanese-American
- Languages
- English, Chinese
- Residence History
- Brooklyn, New York City, USA
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Writer, Actor
- Active Years
- 2002-
- Nominations
- Independent Spirit Award (Best First Feature, film: The Motel)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | School of Engineering and Applied Science (Mining Engineering) | Mining Engineering | BS | — | United States |
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Asian American Literary Awards (Members' Choice) | Waylaid | — | Asian American Literary Awards | 受賞 |
| 2002 | Booklist Editors' Choice (Fiction) | Waylaid | — | Booklist | 受賞 |
| 2008 | Asian American Literary Awards (Members' Choice) | This Is A Bust | — | Asian American Literary Awards | 受賞 |
| — | Asian American Literary Awards | — | — | Asian American Literary Awards | 受賞(詳細不明) |
| 2005 | Humanitas Prize (film: The Motel) | The Motel (film) | — | Humanitas Prize | 受賞(脚本・映画への貢献) |
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Waylaid
2002 Novel (coming-of-age)Story of a Taiwanese/Chinese American boy struggling to grow up amid the drudgery and sexual innuendo surrounding his parents' sleazy motel; adapted into the film 'The Motel'.
- [Film] The Motel / Michael Kang (2005)
This Is A Bust
2007 Crime fiction / NoirFirst in a series set in 1976 New York City's Chinatown featuring Chinese-American cop Robert Chow; a hard-boiled crime novel noted for its period detail.
Snakes Can't Run
2010 Crime fictionSequel in the Robert Chow series, depicting crime and human drama in New York's Chinatown.
One Red Bastard
2012 Crime fictionThird Robert Chow novel, continuing to explore recurring characters and the 1970s atmosphere.
Ghost Month
2014 Crime fiction (Taipei Night Market series)First of the Taipei Night Market series: Jing-nan, a cynical UCLA dropout, returns to Taipei to run his family's night market stall and investigates the murder of his ex-girlfriend, a betel nut seller.
Incensed
2016 Crime fiction (Taipei Night Market series)Second in the Taipei Night Market series: Jing-nan is ordered by a ruthless gangster uncle to watch over his rebellious teenage daughter, escalating tensions.
99 Ways to Die
2018 Crime fiction (Taipei Night Market series)Third in the Taipei Night Market series, with the protagonist confronting further danger and mysteries in Taipei's night market underworld.
Death Doesn't Forget
2022 Crime fiction (Taipei Night Market series)Continuation of the Taipei Night Market series further developing the setting and characters.
David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Unless He Gets into an Ivy League College
2020 Young Adult (YA) fictionA YA novel about the pressures of getting into an Ivy League school and teenage romance, told with humor and empathy.
Bibliography
- Waylaid (2002)
- This Is A Bust (2007)
- Snakes Can't Run (2010)
- One Red Bastard (2012)
- Ghost Month (2014)
- Incensed (2016)
- 99 Ways to Die (2018)
- Death Doesn't Forget (2022)
- David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Unless He Gets into an Ivy League College (2020)
Adaptations
- Waylaid → film 'The Motel' (directed by Michael Kang)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Gritty, noir-influenced proseUse of dark humor and cynicismRealistic, scene-driven descriptions
- Recurring Motifs
- ChinatownNight markets / street stallsFoodImmigrant identity1970s nostalgia
Legacy
Ed Lin is a Taiwanese-American author best known for crime novels set in Chinatown and Taipei's night markets. He has won multiple Asian American Literary Awards and is recognized for linking genre fiction with strong sense of place.
Trivia
- Considered one of the first authors to win multiple Asian American Literary Awards.
- Married to actress Cindy Cheung in 2002.
- Lives in Brooklyn and balances careers as a writer and actor.
- Debut novel 'Waylaid' was adapted into the film 'The Motel'.