Encouraging a remarkable mid-career author to keep on writing

“Madeleine Thien’s acclaimed body of work is nothing short of masterful. Seamlessly blending history and imagination, Thien’s narratives span generations, vast distances, and richly drawn casts of characters. Whether navigating the most intimate moments of love and loss or the dramatic stages of war and political oppression, Thien’s prose brims with sensitivity and compassion, illuminating vivid imagery and sparking insights that continue to resonate long after reading. It’s clear that Thien treats every sentence with the utmost care; the apparent ease with which her writing moves is a striking testament to her extraordinary command of the literary craft. We are in awe of the humanity and generosity that anchors all of her writing thus far, and we are eager to see what she gifts readers next.” —2024 Writers’ Trust Engel Findley Award jury (Wayne Arthurson, Corinna Chong, and Phil Halton)