Every two or three years, I usually would have one Taiwanese student who loves to read come to the library occasionally to discuss the books they have read with me. We would recommend books to each other, and thanks to them, I read some fantastic Taiwanese literature while busy catching up with the English YA literature.
Therefore, when Eleanor invited me to introduce Taiwanese literature to our GLLI friends, I thought of the students and the books we read together. Some of the books were translated into English, and although they sometimes involve Taiwan history or folk beliefs, I am sure high school students in other countries will enjoy reading them, too.
The first book is ‘The Stolen Bicycle’. Many Taiwanese readers might still remember the excitement when ‘The Stolen Bicycle’ made it onto the long list for the Man Booker International Prize. This recognition offered stories of Taiwan, which even many Taiwanese people had not been fully aware of due to the complex political history, an opportunity to be read by the world.
In ‘The Stolen Bicycle’, readers join the narrator on a quest to find his missing father and a long-lost bicycle. Along the way, they encounter intriguing characters and delve into their life stories, including an aboriginal young man who fought for Japan in the jungles of northern Burma, the childhood of an elephant who later became a star animal in the Taipei Zoo, and a craftswoman in the butterfly handicraft industry.
As the narrator searches for the missing bicycle, readers also explore the history of bicycles in Taiwan. The characters and retrospective clues help paint a vivid picture of this particular fragment of Taiwan’s history from various perspectives. Wu incorporates multiple languages (Mandarin, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Aboriginal Tsou) to highlight Taiwan’s cultural diversity. His ability to weave extensive knowledge into his literary works is impressive.
‘Ghost Town’ by Kevin Chen is another book with international critical acclaim. My school was privileged to have had a chance to invite Chen for a virtual author visit last year. He started by discussing what we consider ‘ghosts’ in Taiwan and how ghosts are involved in Taiwanese daily life and customs. The Chinese word ghost also has many different levels of meaning. Taiwanese people use this word to describe some characteristics; for example, the literal translation of crybaby is the ghost who loves to cry!
The concept of ghosts is essential in this book as it literally and metaphorically guides the protagonist, Keith, a young gay man, to navigate his relationship with his family and society. The narrative weaves between different time periods and perspectives. As Keith struggles to reconcile with his own identity and the expectations placed upon him, he also reveals the hidden secrets and traumas of the villagers and family members.
Last but not least, ‘The Piano Tuner’ by Kuo Chiang-Sheng was recommended by a student who loves music. But you don’t need to be a music lover to resonate with the souls in the book, as this story is about grief, loneliness, oppression, and affection; we might all be able to find some of these notes in our lives.
The narrator is a former piano prodigy, now a mediocre piano tuner. Through an out-of-tune Steinway piano, he becomes entwined with a wealthy businessman, Mr. Lin, and his much younger pianist wife, Emily.
As the tuner struggles with his own unfulfilled potential and past betrayals, he uncovers hidden truths about Emily’s secret love affair, leading to a partnership with Lin to sell pianos. A trip to New York results in the tuner’s mental breakdown, and Lin decides to end their business. The novel concludes with the tuner visiting Sviatoslav Richter’s home, leaving an open ending for readers to imagine.
Original title: 單車失竊記
Written and illustrated by Wu Ming-Yi
2017, Text Publishing
ISBN: 9781911231240
Original title: 鬼地方
Written by Kevin Chen
2022, Europa
ISBN: 9781787703919
2020 Taiwan Literature Award (Grand Prize)
Original title: 尋琴者
Written by Chiang-Sheng Kuo, #NameTheTranslator Howard Goldblatt & Sylvia Li-Chun Lin
2023, Arcade Publishing
ISBN: 9781956763416
2021 Taipei Book Fair Award
2020 Taiwan Literature Award / Openbook Award
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lin, Sylvia LiChun. “Book Report: THE PIANO TUNER.” Books from Taiwan, Ministry of Culture, 22 Dec. 2021, booksfromtaiwan.tw/latest_info.php?id=161. Accessed 24 July 2024.
戴, 雅真. “單車失竊記入圍曼布克獎 吳明益倫敦座談” [“The Stolen Bicycle longlisted Man Booker Prize. Interview Wu Ming-Yi in London”]. 中央通訊社, 18 Aug. 2018, http://www.cna.com.tw/news/acul/201808180234.aspx. Accessed 9 July 2024.
朱, 宥勳. “再下去一定會有水源- 讀吳明益 單車失竊記” [“There must be water – Wu Ming-Yi’s ‘The Stolen Bicycle'”]. 朱宥勳: 小說 評論 台灣文學, 16 Aug. 2015, chuckchu.com.tw/article/141. Accessed 9 July 2024.
楊, 馥嘉. “現場》要純情，要勇敢，要相信文學：《尋琴者》經典版歲末祝福會” [“Be pure, be brave, and believe in literature: ‘The Piano Tuner’ classic edition year-end blessing party”]. OpenBook, 28 Dec. 2022, w
Meet Angela:
Angela Chang is an international school librarian. She spends most of her leisure time reading, crocheting, and volunteering at a Tibetan mastiff shelter in Taipei.
Curator
Eleanor Duggan is a passionate children’s book reader, a storytelling enchantress, an aspiring globetrotter, a part-time book crafter, and an impassioned foodie who is a cooking disaster. She is more known as an international school teacher-librarian and the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) Regional Director for East Asia. She is a Taiwanese with a Belgian soul and is currently enjoying her life as a citizen of the world with her daughter and their 2 one-of-a kind cats. You may find her via The Third Culture Librarian
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