Originally from Shanghai, China, Wenyan Lu is the winner of the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2020. Wenyan holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. Her unpublished historical novel The Martyr's Hymn was also longlisted for SI Leeds Literary Prize 2018 and Bridport First Novel Prize 2019.
A more wry exploration of grief is Wenyan Lu's The Funeral Cryer, about a professional mourner in rural China. Oscillating between tragedy and comedy, Wenyan's novel is a refreshing perspective on mourning, as well as a moving tale of a social outcast. -- Katie Goh * i-D Magazine * I adored The Funeral Cryer about a professional mourner. The prose is elegant and restrained, yet still manages to convey the protagonist's anger that simmers between the pages like a dormant volcano. Highly recommend this stunning debut. -- Stacey Thomas * Stacey Thomas, author of THE REVELS *