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Historic win for Mandarin-language novel
A tale blending forbidden romance and Taiwanese cuisine has claimed the International Booker Prize, marking the first time a work translated from Mandarin Chinese has won the prestigious award.
The novel's premise
Taiwan Travelogue, authored by Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi and translated by Taiwanese-American Lin King, unfolds as a culinary journey across 1930s Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule. The book's intricate framing as a rediscovered travel memoir-complete with fictional footnotes-initially misled many readers into believing it was a genuine historical text when published in 2020.
A love story set against colonial history
The novel follows Aoyama Chizuko, a fictional Japanese writer on a government-sponsored tour of Taiwan, and her Taiwanese translator, O Chizuru, with whom she develops a deep, clandestine bond. Through their relationship, the narrative delves into themes of love, cultural identity, and the power dynamics of colonialism.
"It's a captivating, slyly sophisticated novel," said Natasha Brown, chair of the judging panel.
Personal reflections from the creators
Yang, 41, revealed that her research into the novel's themes of travel and food had a tangible impact on her life: "My savings went down; my weight went up." Beyond fiction, she is also known for her essays, manga, and video game scripts. The original Mandarin version of Taiwan Travelogue earned Taiwan's top literary honor, the Golden Tripod Award, in 2021.
Lin King, reflecting on the novel's balance of sorrow and joy, emphasized the resilience of Taiwanese culture under Japanese rule. "No matter how difficult times are, humans always find flickers of levity and deep wells of love," she said. "There was still humor, good food, movies, school, petty fights, and romance. To suggest otherwise is to reduce a culture to its trauma."
Prize details and recognition
The International Booker Prize organizers highlighted the "vital work of translation" in their announcement. The £50,000 ($67,000) prize will be split equally between Yang and Lin. The English translation had previously won the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2024.
