Wayson Choy
Encyclopedia
Wayson Choy, CM
(崔維新 Pinyin
: Cuī Wéixīn ; Jyutping
: Ceoi1 Wai4-san1) (born April 20, 1939) is a Canadian writer.
in 1939. A Chinese Canadian
, he spent his childhood in the city's Chinatown
. Choy graduated from Gladstone Secondary School
and went on to attend the University of British Columbia
, where he studied creative writing
.
in 1962, and taught at Humber College
from 1967 to 2004. He continues to teach at the Humber School for Writers. He was president of Cahoots Theatre Company of Toronto from 1999 to 2002.
Choy is the author
of the novel
The Jade Peony
(1995) which won the Trillium Book Award
and the City of Vancouver Book Award
. In 2010, it was selected as one of five books for the CBC's
annual Canada Reads
competition.
His memoir Paper Shadows: A Chinatown Childhood
(1999) won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction
and was nominated for a Governor General's Award
.
Choy's latest novel, All That Matters
, was published in 2004 and was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize
. In 2005, he was named a member of the Order of Canada
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(崔維新 Pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Cuī Wéixīn ; Jyutping
Jyutping
Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
: Ceoi1 Wai4-san1) (born April 20, 1939) is a Canadian writer.
Early life
Choy was born in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in 1939. A Chinese Canadian
Chinese Canadian
Chinese Canadians are Canadians of Chinese descent. They constitute the second-largest visible minority group in Canada, after South Asian Canadians...
, he spent his childhood in the city's Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
. Choy graduated from Gladstone Secondary School
Gladstone Secondary School
Gladstone Secondary School, located in the Kensington-Cedar Cottage neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is named after William Ewart Gladstone, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom four times between 1868 and 1894....
and went on to attend the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, where he studied creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
.
Career
Choy moved to TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1962, and taught at Humber College
Humber College
Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
from 1967 to 2004. He continues to teach at the Humber School for Writers. He was president of Cahoots Theatre Company of Toronto from 1999 to 2002.
Choy is the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
The Jade Peony
The Jade Peony
The Jade Peony is a novel by Wayson Choy. It was first published in 1995 by Douglas and McIntyre.The novel features stories told by three siblings, Jook-Liang, Jung-Sum and Sek-Lung or Sekky...
(1995) which won the Trillium Book Award
Trillium Book Award
The Trillium Award is given annually by the government of the Province of Ontario and is open to books in any genre: fiction, non-fiction, drama, children's books, and poetry. Anthologies, new editions, re-issues and translations are not eligible. Three jury members per language judge the...
and the City of Vancouver Book Award
City of Vancouver Book Award
The City of Vancouver Book Award is a Canadian literary award, that has been presented annually by the city of Vancouver, British Columbia to one or more works of literature judged as the year's best fiction, non-fiction, poetry or drama work about the city....
. In 2010, it was selected as one of five books for the CBC's
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
annual Canada Reads
Canada Reads
Canada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
competition.
His memoir Paper Shadows: A Chinatown Childhood
Paper Shadows: A Chinatown Childhood
Paper Shadows: A Chinatown Childhood is a memoir by Wayson Choy. It was first published in 1999 by Viking Canada.The book recounts Choy's experiences growing up in Vancouver's Chinatown in the 1940s and 1950s....
(1999) won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction
Edna Staebler Award
The Edna Staebler Award is an annual Canadian literary award, presented to the year's best work of creative nonfiction. The award was established in 1991 by writer Edna Staebler, and is administered by Wilfrid Laurier University.-Winners:...
and was nominated for a Governor General's Award
1999 Governor General's Awards
The winners of the 1999 Canadian Governor General's Literary Awards were announced by Jean-Louis Roux, Chairman, and Shirley L. Thomson, Director of the Canada Council for the Arts, at a press conference held on November 16 at the National Library of Canada...
.
Choy's latest novel, All That Matters
All That Matters (novel)
All That Matters is a novel by Wayson Choy. First published in 2004 by Doubleday Canada, it is the sequel to his debut novel, The Jade Peony , and was nominated for the Giller Prize....
, was published in 2004 and was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize
Scotiabank Giller Prize
The Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries...
. In 2005, he was named a member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Novels
- The Jade PeonyThe Jade PeonyThe Jade Peony is a novel by Wayson Choy. It was first published in 1995 by Douglas and McIntyre.The novel features stories told by three siblings, Jook-Liang, Jung-Sum and Sek-Lung or Sekky...
— 1995 - All That MattersAll That Matters (novel)All That Matters is a novel by Wayson Choy. First published in 2004 by Doubleday Canada, it is the sequel to his debut novel, The Jade Peony , and was nominated for the Giller Prize....
— 2004
Memoirs
- Paper Shadows: A Chinatown ChildhoodPaper Shadows: A Chinatown ChildhoodPaper Shadows: A Chinatown Childhood is a memoir by Wayson Choy. It was first published in 1999 by Viking Canada.The book recounts Choy's experiences growing up in Vancouver's Chinatown in the 1940s and 1950s....
— 1999 - Not Yet: A Memoir of Living and Almost Dying — 2009 ISBN 978-0-385-66310-6