Dean Barrett

Photograph copyright © 2001 by Mia Yun.
Taken in Manhattan's East Village, April, 2000.

Dean Barrett was born in Groton, Connecticut. He trained as a Chinese linguist at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and first went to Asia during the Vietnam War as a Chinese linguist with the Army Security Agency. He received his Masters Degree in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii. Barrett returned to Asia and lived in Hong Kong for 17 years. He wrote and photographed non-fiction books on Asia and edited cultural and travel magazines. He wrote hundreds of articles on Asia and was the winner of several writing and editing awards including the PATA Grand Prize for Excellence for writing on Thailand, and Chinese culture. He also wrote a weekly satire column for the Hong Kong Standard for five years under the pseudonym, Uncle Yum Cha ("Uncle Drink Tea").

Dean Barrett has written extensively on Hong Kong's traditional fishing community: the text for a non-fiction book on the fishing traditions of southern China and a fairytale set in a Chinese fishing village. His novel, Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior, was optioned for film four times and his second novel on Thailand, Kingdom of Make-Believe, was published in 1999. He wrote feature-length film scripts set in Asia which were sold and optioned including The Opium Solution. He has had several plays read or staged by various groups including Pasadena Playhouse of California, Virginia's Offstage Theatre, Florida's Riverside Theatre, New York's Phoenix Ensemble, Vox Theater, Love Creek Productions, Fourplay Productions and PanAsia Repertory.

Barrett's play, Interiors, was staged at the Harold Clurman Theater in September 1998 and Death of a Legend was staged at the Kraine Theater in November. He has written the book and lyrics for a musical set in Hong Kong in 1857 entitled Fragrant Harbour (music: Ed Linderman). Presentations of the musical have been held at BMI, York Theater, Directors Company and Penn State University. The musical was selected to be staged on 42nd Street under the auspices of the National Alliance of Musical Theaters. Hangman's Point, a novel set in Ch'ing Dynasty China, published in September, 1998, was optioned for film by Kelso Films, London.

Barrett has co-written a one-man show with the Chinese actor, Robert Lin, entitled MAO: Red Star & Blue Apple, and his play about the 19th century Chinese slave trade entitled, Barracoon, had a reading with VOX Theater Company in Manhattan where Barrett lived for 14 years. His novel set in 1862 China, Mistress of the East, was published by Blue Moon Books.

Dean Barrett is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Mystery Writers of America, an affiliate of BMI (librettist) and a member of the China Round Table. He returned to Asia in 2000 and now lives in Bangkok.

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