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. [1]
Parker-Chan was born in New Zealand to a Malaysian-Chinese mother and a white father. [2] They were raised in Australia, where they felt disconnected with their racial identity and with the stereotypical representation of Asian characters in fiction. [3] 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." [4]
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, [5] 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, [6] before becoming a writer. Their interest in writing novels began with romantic fan fiction, and a desire for better queer representation in literature. [7]
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. [8] This was followed in 2023 by He Who Drowned the World, which concludes the Radiant Emperor duology.
Parker-Chan uses they/them pronouns, is queer and genderqueer, [9] [6] and was named after Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. [10] As of 2023, they live in Melbourne, Australia. [11] They are married and have a daughter. [2]
Parker-Chan won the 2022 Astounding Award for Best New Writer [12] and the British Fantasy Award (the Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer). [13]
Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | She Who Became the Sun | Aurealis Award | Fantasy Novel | Shortlisted | [14] |
Goodreads Choice Awards | Debut Novel | Nominated—6th | [15] | ||
Fantasy | Nominated—4th | [16] [17] | |||
Indie Next List | August | — | [18] | ||
Otherwise Award | — | Honor List | [19] | ||
2022 | Astounding Award | — | Won | [20] | |
British Book Award | Debut Book of the Year | Shortlisted | [21] | ||
British Fantasy Award | Fantasy Novel (Robert Holdstock Award) | Won | [13] [22] | ||
Newcomer (Sydney J. Bounds Award) | Won | [13] [22] | |||
Ditmar Award | Novel | Shortlisted | [23] | ||
Dragon Award | Alternate History Novel | Shortlisted | [24] | ||
Hugo Award | Novel | Shortlisted | [25] | ||
Lambda Literary Award | Transgender Fiction | Shortlisted | [26] | ||
Locus Award | First Novel | Nominated—2nd | [27] | ||
2023 | He Who Drowned the World | Indie Next List | ? | — | |
2024 | Dragon Award | Fantasy Novel | Shortlisted | ||
Locus Award | Fantasy Novel | Nominated | [28] |
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The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 January and 31 December of the corresponding year; the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.
The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 November of the prior year and 31 October of the corresponding year; the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.
The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 January and 31 December of the corresponding year; the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.
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He Who Drowned the World is a 2023 historical fantasy novel by Australian author Shelley Parker-Chan. It is the sequel to the author's 2021 British Fantasy Award-winning debut, She Who Became the Sun, and completes the The Radiant Emperor Duology.