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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. 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, 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,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, and was named after Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.As of 2023, they live in Melbourne, Australia. 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).

Biblio

The Radiant Emperor Duology

• She Who Became the Sun. Pan. 2021. ISBN 978-1529043402.
• He Who Drowned the World. Pan. 2023. ISBN 978-1529043457.

References

1. https://famouswritingroutines.com/interviews/interview-with-shelley-parker-chan/ Famous Writing Routines. Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan: “Absorb the vibe through osmosis.” March 3, 2023.
2. ^ 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
3. Kirichanskaya, Michele (2023-09-01). "Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun". Geeks OUT. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
4. "Interview #205 — Shelley Parker-Chan". LIMINAL. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
5. “Spotlight on Shelley Parker-Chan.”, in Locus Magazine. July 20, 2021.
6. ^ ‘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
7. "Interview #205 — Shelley Parker-Chan". LIMINAL. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
8. Kirichanskaya, Michele (2023-09-01). "Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun". Geeks OUT. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
9. “Interview #205, Shelley Parker-Chan"; by Annie Zhang; in Liminal Magazine; published 12 September 2022.
10. Fantasy Hive interview. “Interview With Shelley Parker-Chan (She Who Became the Sun).” By Bethan Hindmarch'; at Fantasy Hive. Published June 2022.
11. Interview with Shelley Parker-Chan, at Famous Writing Routines. March 30, 2023.
12. "2022 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2022-09-04. Archived from the original on 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
13. ^ “Shelley Parker-Chan Wins British Fantasy Award.”, in Starburst; published September 18, 2022.
14. aaconvenor (6 April 2022). "2021 Aurealis Awards Shortlist Announcement". Aurealis Awards. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
15. "Best Debut Novel 2021". Goodreads. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
16. Wong, Kat (2 May 2022). "'Everyone is going to be gay and terrible': The first Australian novel nominated for a Hugo". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
17. "Best Fantasy 2021". Goodreads. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
18. ^ "British Fantasy Awards 2022: Winners announced". The British Fantasy Society. 17 Sep 2022.
19. "2022 Hugo Award Finalists Announced". The Hugo Awards. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
20. "Current Finalists". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
21. "2022 Locus Awards Winners". Locus. 25 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.

External links

• Official website

• Living people
• Australian fantasy writers
• John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer winners
• Australian non-binary writers
• New Zealand non-binary people