Archive · 17 Jan 2026
Tash Aw on Epic Storytelling and Asian Narratives
Tash Aw is a writer who has been nominated for the Booker Prize three times.
He doesn't think prizes are important for art.
His new book, 'The South,' is part of a four-book series about Southeast Asia.
He was inspired by the Ramayana and wants to tell stories about people who are usually not the main characters in books.
He thinks the West needs to change how it sees immigration and geopolitics.
He believes stories should be fluid and reflect real life, which is full of changes and different experiences.
Tash Aw has been nominated for the Booker Prize three times and is skeptical about the importance of literary prizes.
His novel 'The South' is the first in a quartet exploring Southeast Asia's social and emotional history.
Aw was inspired by the Ramayana and aims to redefine the epic form by focusing on marginalized characters.
He believes relationships and societal structures require effort and are not naturally ordered.
Aw expresses concern about the West's conservative drift and its handling of immigration and geopolitical narratives.
- Who
- Tash Aw, a British writer of Malaysian origin
- What
- Discussion on his literary work and views on storytelling, prizes, and geopolitics
- When
- During the Jaipur Literature Festival
- Where
- Jaipur, India
- Why
- To present his novel 'The South' and discuss his literary influences and perspectives
- Author
- Tash Aw
- Book
- The South
- Genre
- Literary Fiction
- Inspiration
- Ramayana
- Literary Prizes
- Booker Prize longlist (2005, 2013, 2025)
- View on Prizes
- Skeptical, considers them random
- Focus of Work
- Southeast Asian social and emotional history
- Epic Form
- Quartet instead of a single monumental epic