Shaun Tan

And Matt, you wanted to add something here?

Yeah, I just think that, uh, if you like this, you might like The Arrival by Shaun Tan, which we read for an episode a while back.

I just think from an art perspective it has similar things going on, and from a storytelling perspective as well.

I think it is more of a written-through story than this book is, for sure.

I'm beyond thrilled for today's conversation.

My guest is Shaun Tan, an artist, writer, and filmmaker from Perth, Western Australia, now living in Melbourne, whose books have this incredible way of being whimsical and profound all at once.

He's the recipient of an Academy Award for the animated short film The Lost Thing, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the Kate Greenaway Medal, and if you've ever opened one of his books, you know exactly why.

His stories work on you slowly and they stay with you for years.

He urges her to go back with him.

She doesn't belong here.

Can he be right? Shaun Tan's masterpiece is a uniquely powerful, funny, and insightful exploration of identity and what it means to be home.

[upbeat music] Hi, Shaun.