Madeleine Thien

Madeleine Thien is a Canadian novelist of Chinese-Malaysian heritage who won the Governor General's Literary Award, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and the Edward Stanford Award in 2016 for Do Not Say We Have Nothing, a sweeping novel about music, memory, and political violence across three generations of Chinese families. The novel was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Do Not Say We Have Nothing follows two narrative threads: a contemporary story set in Vancouver, and a historical account of musicians during China's Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square protests. The novel is renowned for its formal ambition, its exploration of what music means under totalitarianism, and its intimate portraiture of families shattered by political upheaval. Thien was born in Vancouver and grew up in Malaysia before returning to Canada. Her earlier works include the novel Certainty (2006) and the short story collection Simple Recipes (2001). She has held fellowships and residencies internationally and teaches creative writing at various institutions.