Photo: Arturo Villarrubia / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ted Chiang is, for me, one of the most important living writers in any genre. He works slowly and publishes sparingly, yet nearly everything he releases wins major awards. Story of Your Life, the basis for Arrival, and pieces like Exhalation and Tower of Babylon read less like stories than rigorous thought experiments wrapped in deep feeling. What I value most is his refusal to flood the market. He writes only when he has something worth honing to perfection, and that integrity leaves you seeing the world differently after every story. The real thing.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ted Chiang
- Name (Japanese)
- テッド・チャン
- Reading
- てっど・ちゃん
- Born
- October 20, 1967 (age 58)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Goat
- Origin
- Port Jefferson, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- author / science fiction writer / novelist / computer scientist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Brown University
Awards & achievements
- 1991 Nebula Award for Best Novelette
- 2010 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign-Language Short Story
- 2007 Bob Morane award for best short story
- 1992 Astounding Award for Best New Writer
- 2000 Nebula Award for Best Novella
- 1999 Theodore Sturgeon Award
- 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novelette
- 2002 Locus Award for Best Novelette
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Tower of Babylon | — | |
| Notable work | Story of Your Life | — | |
| Notable work | Stories of Your Life and Others | — | |
| Notable work | Exhalation | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Ted Chiang born?
Born October 20, 1967 (age 58).
Where is Ted Chiang from?
Ted Chiang is from Port Jefferson, New York, United States.
What does Ted Chiang do?
Ted Chiang works as author, science fiction writer, novelist, computer scientist.
What is Ted Chiang known for?
Notable works include Tower of Babylon, Story of Your Life, Stories of Your Life and Others.
Author — see all → · Science fiction writer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.