Kim Thúy
Kim Thúy was born in Vietnam in 1968. At the age of 10 she left Vietnam along with a wave of refugees commonly referred to in the media as “the boat people” and settled with her family in Quebec, Canada. A graduate in translation and law, she has worked as a seamstress, interpreter, lawyer and chef-restaurant owner. She lives in Montreal and devotes her life to writing.
Kim Thúy has received many awards, including the Governor General’s Literary Award in 2010, and was one of the top 4 finalists of the Alternative Nobel Prize in 2018. Her books have sold more than 850,000 copies around the world and have been translated into 29 languages and distributed across 40 countries and territories.
Photo : Carl Lessard
Awards and Accolades
2023 Knight of France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
2023 Em nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award’s 2023 longlist
2019 Honorary doctorate in Civil Law by Bishop’s University for outstanding achievements and community engagement
2019 Appointed Compagne des arts et des lettres du Québec by the Government of Quebec
2018 Women of Distinction Award, Montreal Women’s Y Foundation
2017 Medal of Honour, National Assembly of Quebec
2017 Honorary doctorate awarded by Concordia University for giving eloquent voice to the refugee experience
2016 Spokesperson for the Petit Robert dictionary between 2016 and 2018; honoured with her own entry in the 2018 Robert illustré illustrated edition
2015 Knighted Chevalière de l’Ordre national du Québec by the Government of Québec
2013 Paul-Gérin-Lajoie Award for Tolerance, awarded in 2013 by Together for Respecting Diversity organization