World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

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

Columbia University
School of Engineering and Applied Science (Mining Engineering) / Mining Engineering
Degree: BS
Year of Graduation: 1991
Country: United States
Was one class short of a BA in Literature; had aspired to attend journalism school.

Awards

Asian American Literary Awards (Members' Choice)
2002
Work: Waylaid
Organization: Asian American Literary Awards
Result: 受賞
Booklist Editors' Choice (Fiction)
2002
Work: Waylaid
Organization: Booklist
Result: 受賞
Asian American Literary Awards (Members' Choice)
2008
Work: This Is A Bust
Organization: Asian American Literary Awards
Result: 受賞
Asian American Literary Awards
Organization: Asian American Literary Awards
Result: 受賞(詳細不明)
Humanitas Prize (film: The Motel)
2005
Work: The Motel (film)
Organization: Humanitas Prize
Result: 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'.

Coming-of-ageImmigrant identityFamily struggleSexual awakening
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Motel / Michael Kang (2005)

This Is A Bust

2007 Crime fiction / Noir

First 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.

CrimeCommunity changeRace and identityNoir

Snakes Can't Run

2010 Crime fiction

Sequel in the Robert Chow series, depicting crime and human drama in New York's Chinatown.

CrimeCommunityMoral ambiguity

One Red Bastard

2012 Crime fiction

Third Robert Chow novel, continuing to explore recurring characters and the 1970s atmosphere.

CrimeHistorical contextLoyalty and betrayal

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.

Urban and market cultureLoss and revengeYouth alienation

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.

Family and crimeCycle of violenceComing-of-age

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.

ViolenceUrban darknessSurvival

Death Doesn't Forget

2022 Crime fiction (Taipei Night Market series)

Continuation of the Taipei Night Market series further developing the setting and characters.

RevengeMemory and loss

David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Unless He Gets into an Ivy League College

2020 Young Adult (YA) fiction

A YA novel about the pressures of getting into an Ivy League school and teenage romance, told with humor and empathy.

Academic pressureYouthSelf-discovery

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'.