The Fraught Lives of Nathan Kwan and Lapsang Souchong

Tutu Dutta was born in Churachandpur, India, in 1957. Her family relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1963, where her father served as a Medical Officer in the Malaysian Army. She completed her schooling in Malaysia, earning a B.Sc. from Universiti Putra Malaysia and an M.Phil. from the University of Malaya.

During her undergraduate studies, she received a scholarship from Japan Airlines to attend Summer School at Sophia University in Tokyo. This experience proved to be eye-opening, sparking her lifelong passion for folklore. She also pursued studies at the University of Strasbourg, France.

Tutu Dutta began writing children’s books while residing in various international locations as the spouse of a diplomat, including Singapore, Lagos, New York, Havana, and Zagreb. She has a daughter, Shona Yean, born in Singapore in 1992. As Shona grew, Tutu Dutta found herself reading the same books her daughter enjoyed. Shona currently serves as her consultant on youth and popular culture, keeping her informed of international trends. Shona qualified as a Barrister at Middle Temple Inn (UK) in 2017.

To date, Tutu Dutta has authored nine books. Her published works include:

• Timeless Tales of Malaysia
• Eight Treasures of the Dragon
• The Jugra Chronicles (a middle-grade duology set in 17th Century Borneo)

Phoenix Song, her debut picture book, was published by Lantana Publishing (UK) and illustrated by Martina Peluso. It was also her first book to be translated into Malay, published by Oyez! in 2017.

In 2016, Marshall Cavendish released a new edition of Timeless Tales of Malaysia, retitled The Magic Urn and Other Timeless Tales of Malaysia. This was followed by Nights of the Dark Moon, a collection of dark folktales from Asia and Africa, in 2017. The book was reprinted in 2019, receiving renewed interest and positive media reviews in Malaysia and India.

In 2019, she co-edited an anthology with Sharifah Aishah Osman, titled The Principal Girl: Feminist Tales from Asia, published by GB Gerakbudaya Enterprise Sdn Bhd. This collection was a surprise success with young adult readers and garnered significant media coverage and reviews.

Tutu Dutta has been invited to speak at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore on two occasions. In 2013, she presented a paper titled ‘Adapting Asian Folktales for Children’s and YA Literature’. In 2017, she delivered two presentations: ‘Folklore Finesse’ and ‘Hidden Elements’. She also participated as a speaker on a panel of Malaysian authors at the East-West Conference, organized by the University of Malaya in 2017.

Furthermore, Tutu Dutta served as a judge for the Scholastic Asia Young Writers Award in 2014, representing Malaysia. Her stories are deeply rooted in Asian culture and reflect extensive research on the subject. Readers and reviewers have frequently noted the feminist undercurrents and profound reverence for nature present in her narratives. Notably, Timeless Tales of Malaysia inspired a group of children to create a video about the book and was the subject of a Master’s Degree in English Literature at the University of Malaya, undertaken by postgraduate student Siti Nor Fatiha.

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