Chiew Siah Tei is a Chinese author whose fi rst English language novel was placed on the long list for the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize. She talks about what inspired her to write Little Hut of Leaping Fishes and her plans to start on the sequel.

BK: How did you get started on Little Hut of Leaping Fishes?

Chiew Siah Tei: I wanted to fi nd out why, as a Chinese person, I lived in Malaysia and not China. As a child I always listened to my grandfather’s stories about events in this far away country. Stories about the emperor and empress and how people were so poor that they had nothing to eat. To me, as a child, they weren’t real, they were just stories. After listening to him I just forgot about them and when my grandfather passed away the stories were gone. But in 1999, I visited China for the fi rst time and realized that even though we were all Chinese, we were different, because I didn’t live in China. That’s the reason why I decided to write a book to discover what really happened in the past.

BK: What was the general response to your novel?

CST: People seemed to love the fact that it covers something that they know very little about. It gave them vivid insight into the past and they really liked the visual aspect of the book.

BK: Why did you decide to become a writer?

CST: I was already interested in writing as a child. My teacher was so impressed with my fi rst composition that he sent it to a Chinese newspaper, which published it. That gave me so much motivation.

BK: What have you learned from writing?

CST: Writing is very important to me because it helps act as a release. When I was younger, writing allowed me to vent my unhappiness and anger. Plus, as a writer, I have to observe people and what happens in their lives. It helps me to better understand other people, not just their external appearance but also their inner feelings and emotions.

BK: How did it feel being nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize?

CST: It’s not about the award, but getting my message across to my readers. That’s my real achievement.

BK: How do you want to be remembered?

CST: As a writer who cares. Through my writing, I can show people the reality of life, that life is incomplete and many things happen that people are simply too busy to notice.

BK: Are there any upcoming books in the near future?

CST: I’m planning to write a trilogy. Little Hut of the Leaping Fishes was the first and I’m currently working on the second installment.