Born in Penang, Malaysia, multi-award-winning author, Tan Twan Eng draws on his rich heritage in his historical fiction. In this conversation with Dr Kate Kennedy, Twan will discuss the inspiration behind his third novel, The House of Doors, and the challenges of fictionalising ‘real lives’.
About The House of Doors:
‘A story, like a bird of the mountain,
can carry a name beyond the clouds,
beyond even time itself.’
Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of the early 20th century, but in 1921 he is at the lowest point of his life: his marriage is falling apart, he is in ill-health, and an unwise investment has lost nearly all his money. He is also struggling to write. When his friend Robert Hamlyn offers an escape at his home in the Straits Settlement of Penang, Willie accepts.
Willie is intrigued by Robert’s steely wife, Lesley. How did she come to know the charismatic Dr Sun Yat Sen, a revolutionary fighting to overthrow the imperial dynasty of China? And what was her connection to the trial of Ethel Proudlock, the first Englishwoman to be charged with murder in Malaya, a trial which subsequently inspired one of Maugham’s most famous stories, The Letter?
At its heart, The House of Doors is about the act of creation: how stories are made, and how they are passed from person to person, from one place to another, and even across time. How do writers turn fact into fiction? And how do they transform fiction into fact?
Speaker Details:
Tan Twan Eng is a multi-award-winning author from Penang, Malaysia. His debut novel, The Gift of Rain (2007), set in WWII-era Penang, explores themes of betrayal, courage, and love, was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Tan’s second novel, The Garden of Evening Mists (2011) intertwines art, war, and memory. It has received accolades including the Man Asian Literary Prize and Walter Scott Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker and the 2014 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The House of Doors—his third novel—examines public morality and private truth through the lens of English writer, Somerset Maugham’s visit to Penang, and the short story that was the product of his visit, ‘The Letter’. The House of Doors (2023) was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize 2024, and chosen by Queen Camilla for The Queen’s Reading Room. Tan divides his time between Kuala Lumpur and Cape Town.
Dr Kate Kennedy is a writer, cellist, and BBC broadcaster. Her work combines words and music, in performance, on the radio and on the page. She is a Research Fellow in Life-Writing at Wolfson College, Oxford, and Director of the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing. Her most recent book, Cello: A Journey Through Silence to Sound (2024) is part memoir, part biography, and her previous biography Dweller in Shadows (2021) explored the life of British poet-composer Ivor Gurney. She is a regular presenter for BBC Radio.
Further Details and Contacts:
After the event, join us for a complimentary wine reception and purchase a copy of Lifescapes from the Caper (@caperoxford) pop-up bookshop.
This event is free and open to all. Registration is recommended.
This event will not be live-streamed but will be recorded and made available on the OCLW website soon after.
Any queries regarding this event should be addressed to OCLW Events Manager, Dr Eleri Anona Watson.
