The National Book Awards, the highest honor in the American literary community, took place on November 20th in New York. The book “Taiwan Travelogue” written by Yang Shuangzi and translated by Jin Lingying was nominated for the translation literature award, becoming the only Asian representative among the five selected works this year and marking the first time a Taiwanese novel has been nominated for the award.
Yang Shuangzi and translator Jin Ling flew to New York with their families to attend the award ceremony. Yang Shuangzi expressed her gratitude to Jin Ling for translating the book, allowing it to be presented to English-speaking readers. On the 18th, the two shared their creative and translation process with the media at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York.
Yang Shuangzi mentioned that Taiwan was once under Japanese rule for 50 years, greatly influencing its culture. To understand Taiwan during the colonial period, she spent several years delving into literature from the 1930s. The idea for the book originated in 2014, initially a collaborative effort with her twin sister. However, after her sister passed away in 2015, she completed the work on her own, finishing the first draft in 2019 and publishing it in 2020. She admitted that she never expected the book to have such a lasting impact, even making its mark internationally after being translated.
Jin Ling shared that the translation process was challenging, requiring the integration of Japanese and Taiwanese language elements into English to preserve the authenticity of the work. She noted that helping English readers understand Taiwan’s colonial situation in the 1930s was a significant and meaningful task.
Set against the backdrop of 1938 Taiwan, “Taiwan Travelogue” offers a glimpse into history through a female perspective, sparking readers’ interest in the past. Yang Shuangzi emphasized that exploring Taiwan’s history before 1945 is an essential part of her response to national identity.
With the support of the Ministry of Culture’s translation and publication award project, “Taiwan Travelogue” was published by Chunshan Publishing in 2020 and was honored with the Golden Tripod Award for Best Literary Book in 2021. The English translation was released by the American Graywolf Press on November 12th this year. The nomination for the National Book Awards signifies the success of Taiwanese literature making strides on the international stage.