Home / Arts and Entertainment / Taiwanese Novel Wins International Booker Prize
Taiwanese Novel Wins International Booker Prize
19 May
Summary
- First Mandarin Chinese novel wins International Booker.
- It's a romance and an incisive postcolonial novel.
- The author explores Taiwanese identity and history.
Taiwan Travelogue, originally penned in Mandarin Chinese by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and translated by Lin King, has achieved a historic first by winning the International Booker prize. This marks the first time a novel in Mandarin has secured this prestigious award.
The book presents itself as a rediscovered memoir, detailing a novelist's journey to 1938 Taiwan during Japanese occupation. Accompanied by an interpreter, with whom she falls in love, the narrative weaves a culinary tour through a complex historical period.
Judges lauded the novel for its "incredible double feat," recognizing its success as both a captivating romance and an incisive postcolonial work. The author aimed to explore the conflicted historical relationship Taiwan has with its past occupiers.
Yáng and King are the first Taiwanese and Taiwanese-American recipients of the prize, which celebrates translated fiction. The novel also previously won Taiwan's Golden Tripod award, and King's translation earned a US National Book Award in 2024.
