Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (2022) Winner
Jay Caspian Kang
ジェイ・キャスピアン・カン
Jei Kyasupian Kan
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1979-12-31 （Seoul, South Korea）
- Nationality
- South Korea, United States
- Languages
- English, Korean
- Residence History
- Cambridge, Massachusetts (grew up) → San Francisco, California → Los Angeles, California → Berkeley, California (resides)
Career
- Occupations
- writer, editor, television journalist, podcast host, columnist
- Active Years
- 2005-
- Influenced By
- Thomas Pynchon (noted as stylistic influence)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowdoin College | — | — | BA | — | United States |
| Columbia University | — | Fine Arts (MFA) | MFA | — | United States |
Bowdoin College
Degree:
BA
Year of Graduation:
2001
Country:
United States
Undergraduate degree (liberal arts)
Columbia University
Fine Arts (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Year of Graduation:
2005
Country:
United States
Master of Fine Arts focused on creative writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Emmy Award (nominated) | Vice News Tonight segment on high school students joining national anthem protests | — | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences | ノミネート |
| 2021 | NPR Best Books (selected) | The Loneliest Americans | — | NPR | 選出 |
| 2021 | Time Best Books (selected) | The Loneliest Americans | — | Time | 選出 |
Emmy Award (nominated)
2017
Work:
Vice News Tonight segment on high school students joining national anthem protests
Organization:
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Result:
ノミネート
NPR Best Books (selected)
2021
Work:
The Loneliest Americans
Organization:
NPR
Result:
選出
Time Best Books (selected)
2021
Work:
The Loneliest Americans
Organization:
Time
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Dead Do Not Improve
2012 Novel (anti-noir with comic elements) 320 pagesA comic anti-noir novel following Philip Kim, an MFA graduate who becomes embroiled in a mystery after his elderly neighbor is found murdered. The book explores Korean American male anger and identity amid a cast of surfers, cops, thugs and tech workers.
Asian American identityanger and alienationfragmented urban societygambling
The Loneliest Americans
2021 Nonfiction (memoir and reported work) 272 pagesA mix of memoir and reported journalism examining loneliness, belonging, and the place of Asian Americans in culture and politics. Kang blends personal narrative with reporting to rethink identity.
lonelinessbelongingrace and politicsAsian American experience
Bibliography
- The Dead Do Not Improve (2012)
- The Loneliest Americans (2021)
- Numerous essays and columns (The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Grantland, etc.)
Adaptations
- Documentary film 'American Son' (about Michael Chang, directed by Jay Caspian Kang; ESPN Films / 30 for 30)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- essayistic and personal voicecritical and analytical commentaryuse of humor and irony
- Recurring Motifs
- lonelinessrace and corporealitymasculinity and its tensionscity life and popular culture
Health
-
Thyroid cancer不明Surviving cancer influenced his writing and outlook, according to his own remarks
Legacy
A contemporary journalist and writer known for incisive work on Asian American experience and identity. Through essays, longform articles, podcasts, and documentary work he has shaped conversations about race, culture, and politics.
In Popular Culture
- Co-host of the podcast 'Time to Say Goodbye'
Quotes
-
"Surviving cancer can cleanse the soul, sure, but once you're left facing the rest of your life, a patient's vision can tunnel down to a list of demands."
Source: Grantland (2012) (2012)
Trivia
- He has written that he once played poker more than 40 hours a week at the Commerce Casino while living in California.
- His daughter was born in January 2017.
- Directed the ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary 'American Son' about Michael Chang.