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Erick Setiawan

Goodreads author profile

born

in Jakarta, Indonesia

gender

male

website

http://www.ofbeesandmist.com

genre

Literature & Fiction

member since

July 2010

About this author

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ERICK SETIAWAN was born in 1975 in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Chinese parents. A quiet, shy child, he was thankfully raised in a family of gifted storytellers, who taught him that while life might have an endless supply of conflict, not all of it translates into a good story. Due to the anti-Chinese sentiment prevalent in Indonesia, his childhood was often fraught with tension, which prompted him to take comfort in books and in the world of his imagination. To traumatize him further, his parents sent him to Catholic schools, where he learned from an early age to feel guilty about everything and that a grown man in a sash and a swishing robe with a ruler in his hand was in no way maternal.

At age sixteen, he left his family and moved to the Unite...more ERICK SETIAWAN was born in 1975 in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Chinese parents. A quiet, shy child, he was thankfully raised in a family of gifted storytellers, who taught him that while life might have an endless supply of conflict, not all of it translates into a good story. Due to the anti-Chinese sentiment prevalent in Indonesia, his childhood was often fraught with tension, which prompted him to take comfort in books and in the world of his imagination. To traumatize him further, his parents sent him to Catholic schools, where he learned from an early age to feel guilty about everything and that a grown man in a sash and a swishing robe with a ruler in his hand was in no way maternal.

At age sixteen, he left his family and moved to the United States. He knew three people and barely spoke English, yet was somehow convinced that he could compete with the top students to get into the best colleges. His resolution/delusion pushed him to work hard. The following year, his first choice, Harvard, rejected him, but fortunately Stanford had a lower standard. To this day, he believes that they admitted him by mistake.

In college, he wanted to study English, but his shyness and insecurity about his adopted language prevented him from enrolling in classes that required him to speak. Instead, he chose to major in Psychology and Computer Science, going as far as getting a Master’s in the latter. Bafflingly enough, studying about mental disorders and complex algorithms only increased his hunger for literature. Once too often, he shuffled aside his term papers and problem sets to lose himself in a novel.

After graduation, he began his tenure as a software engineer in San Francisco. By the end of the first year, he knew that his heart was not in it. Confronted with the risk of being a corporate burnout at twenty-six, he turned to writing in his spare time. To the exasperation of his bosses, he began coming to work late and taking longer and longer lunch breaks in order to write. Several years, two failed novels, and countless short stories later, he decided to quit his job to finish writing OF BEES AND MIST. At the time, he had no book deal and knew no one in publishing, but he pursued his passion with the same stubborn resolution/delusion that had motivated him earlier. He sold OF BEES AND MIST four years after he started it.(less)

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Erick Setiawan's Books

Average rating: 3.76 · 3,112 ratings · 656 reviews · 1 distinct work · Similar authors

Of Bees and Mist
3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 3,108 ratings — published 2009 — 23 editions

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Erick Setiawan made a comment in the group Q&A with Erick Setiawan — Your book topic "Hi Jane, No, I have not heard of Hothouse Flowers but will look it up based on your rec. Thank you for recommending Bees to your friends!"
May 23, 2013 06:38pm
Erick Setiawan made a comment on his profile "Thank you everyone for your lovely messages (shame on me for not checking this site sooner). I am feverishly finishing another book--my plan is to get...more "
Apr 21, 2013 09:50am
Erick Setiawan is now friends with Becky Gjendem
Feb 28, 2013 09:50am · like
Erick Setiawan made a comment in the group Q&A with Erick Setiawan — Your book topic "Thank you, Rachel. I'm glad the book is the showcase on your shelf! I'm working very hard on the next one, which I'm hoping to finish this year. Give...more "
Feb 28, 2013 09:48am
Erick Setiawan made a comment in the group Q&A with Erick Setiawan — Mother language topic "It's Indonesian, Calvin"
Feb 28, 2013 09:46am
Erick Setiawan made a comment in the group Q&A with Erick Setiawan — "Perfect" days topic "It was difficult to say good-bye, but I think any author can tell you that when it's done, it's done. In truth, I got a bit sick of them after having...more "
Apr 03, 2012 11:28am
Erick Setiawan joined the group Q&A with Erick Setiawan
Oct 03, 2010 11:31pm · like

More of Erick's books…

Quotes by Erick Setiawan

“Rahasia alam semesta jauh lebih mudah dimengerti dibandingkan hati seorang perempuan.”
― Erick Setiawan, Of Bees and Mist

tags: romance

6 people liked it

“You don't seem to understand me,' she said. 'The last thing I want is to start over. You can't wake up something that's dead and buried.”
― Erick Setiawan, Of Bees and Mist

1 person liked it

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