Kevin Kwan

Kevin Kwan (born 1973 or 1974) is a Singaporean-born American novelist and writer of satirical novels Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems. His latest book, Lies and Weddings, was released in June 2024.^[2][3]

Quick Facts Native name, Born ...

Kevin Kwan
Kwan in 2024
Native name	关凯文
Born	1973 or 1974 (age 50–51)[1] Singapore
Occupation	Author
Language	English
Nationality	American
Notable works	Crazy Rich Asians China Rich Girlfriend Rich People Problems
Website
kevinkwanbooks.com
Literature portal

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In 2014, Kwan was named as one of the "Five Writers to Watch" on the list of Hollywood's Most Powerful Authors published by The Hollywood Reporter.^[4] In 2018, Kwan made Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people^[5] and was inducted into The Asian Hall of Fame.^[6]

Kevin Kwan was born in Singapore as the youngest of three boys into an established Chinese Singaporean family.^[7][8] His great-grandfather, Oh Sian Guan, was a founding director of Singapore's oldest bank, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation.^[9] His paternal grandfather, Sir Arthur Kwan Pah Chien M.D., was an ophthalmologist who became Singapore's first Western-trained specialist^[10] and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his philanthropic efforts.^[11]

Sir Arthur's wife, Kwan's paternal grandmother Egan Oh, Lady Kwan, was a prominent debutante who became a socialite after her marriage.^[11] Kwan's maternal grandfather, the Rev. Paul Hang Sing Hon, founded the Hinghwa Methodist Church.^[11] Kwan is also related to Hong Kong-born American actress Nancy Kwan^[12] and former Singaporean finance minister Richard Hu, who was a cousin of his father.^[13]

While in Singapore, Kwan studied at the Anglo-Chinese School^[14] and lived with his paternal grandparents.^[11] Kwan's father and mother, an engineer and pianist respectively, moved the family to the United States when Kwan was 11.^[15][16] The family moved to Clear Lake, Texas, and Kwan attended Clear Lake High School, graduating when he was 16.^[17]

He attended San Jacinto College,^[18] and the University of Houston-Clear Lake,^[19] where he earned a BA in Media Studies, after which he moved to Manhattan to attend Parsons School of Design in order to pursue a BFA in Photography.^[20][21] In New York, Kwan worked for Interview Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, and Tibor Kalman's design firm M&Co. In 2000, Kwan established his own creative studio, clients of which included Ted.com, Museum of Modern Art, and The New York Times.^[22]

On August 22, 2018, Singapore's Ministry of Defence stated that Kwan is wanted in Singapore for defaulting on National Service obligation.^[23][24] The Ministry of Defence stated that Kwan had failed to register for National Service in 1990 and did not have a valid exit permit to remain overseas, even though he has been living outside of Singapore since he was 11 years old. In 1994, his application and subsequent appeal to renounce his Singapore citizenship without serving National Service were rejected. Kwan is liable to a fine of up to $10,000 and a jail term of up to three years under the Enlistment Act.^[25]

Kwan edited I Was Cuba (featuring photographs collected by Ramiro A. Fernández, published in 2007)^[26] and coauthored the book Luck: The Essential Guide with Deborah Aaronson (published in 2008).^[27][28]

Kwan became inspired to write Crazy Rich Asians in 2009 while caring for his father, who was dying of cancer. Kwan and his father would reminisce about their life in Singapore while driving to and from medical appointments, and Kwan began writing stories to capture those memories.^[7][11] Kwan stated one of his goals was to showcase the "educated families with style and taste that have been quietly going about their lives for generations" which went beyond the typical contemporary coverage of Asia which focused on conspicuous consumption.^[11] Friends had been urging him to commit his memories to paper as well.^[29] Moving to the United States has westernized his view of Asia, and he likens himself to "an outsider looking in" when describing his life in Singapore.^[11]