- Chinese Name: 朱天文
- Date of Birth: Aug. 24, 1956
- Birthplace: Taipei City (Northern Taiwan)
- Do You Know That …?
- Chu received The Dream of the Red Chamber Award from the Hong Kong Baptist University in 2008 for her novel "The Revelation of The Words of A Witch (巫言).”
About the Author
As a prolific writer, Chu Tien-wen's works encompass short stories, novels, and screenplays. She has collaborated with prominent director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) in numerous film productions, and three of their collaborations have won the Golden Horse Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay ... (read more)
Select Literary Reviews
- "Taiwan itself, in Chu's hands, becomes a mirror of the gay condition, yearning for acceptance, while insisting on the right to behave however it wants … a tribute to Chu Tien-Wen's marvelous skill.” - The New York Times' Peter Kurth, on "Notes of a Desolate Man”
- "As a writer of short fiction, Chu is prodigiously talented. Texture, fragrance, color, and taste leap out from her uncommonly crafted prose with such force that they suck the reader into the text in ways not usually associated with the short-story form … arguably the literature's most triumphant genre.” - The University of Oxford's Margaret Hillenbrand on "Fin-de-siècle Splendor”
- "This is a work that requires quiet reading, but one that rewards you with joy … The narrative is incredible in detail, the writing fine and enigmatic, and a sense of wisdom is pervasive. Works of Hong Kong and Taiwan have not succumbed to the hate, suffering, violence, criticism particular to those of the Chinese mainland, and are blessed with a relaxed elegance and an intriguing wisdom about life.” - Chinese novelist Jia Pingwa on "The Revelation of The Words of A Witch”
Select Film Reviews
- "The result of an encounter between Chu Tien-wen's literary sensibility and the commercially successful partnership of Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Chen Kun-Hou … Adapted by Chu from her own story, the film uses the maturing of the protagonist to explore a number of social issues - juvenile delinquency, generational shifts, the relationship between immigrants from the mainland and the local population - all of which point up the ambiguities of Taiwanese identity.” - International Film Festival Rotterdam on "Growing Up”
- "Working with an excellent screenplay by Wu Nien-Jen and Chu Tien-Wen, Mr. Hou examines the life and times of 84-year-old Li Tien Lu … the puppetmaster's turbulent life is full of hard times, mysterious turnings, mystical coincidences, births, deaths and political upheaval, all of which lead to an unforeseen celebrity, conferred in part by this film.” - The New York Times' Vincent Canby on "The Puppetmaster”