'Taiwan Travelogue' author, translator to start U.S. book tour

Taipei, Feb. 11 (CNA) The author and translator of the award-winning novel "Taiwan Travelogue" will start a book tour in the United States on Wednesday, during which the two will meet audiences in New York and Southern California.

Yang Shuang-zi (楊双子), the book's author, and Lin King (金翎), the translator, will embark on the tour comprising five dates and eight sessions at bookstores, universities, and the New York Public Library, according to a recent press release by the Ministry of Culture (MOC).

The tour will be hosted by the Taipei Cultural Center in New York and the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, with support from the MOC.

Yang and King will discuss the novel's source of inspiration, as well as its writing and translation process, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the historical research, on-site exploration and challenges in translating cultural and emotional nuances for an international audience, according to the press release.

The pair made history in November 2024 when the novel won the National Book Award for Translated Literature in the U.S., becoming the first-ever Taiwanese work to win the prestigious award.

Set in 1938 when Taiwan was a Japanese colony, the novel follows a Japanese woman and a Taiwanese woman who happen to have the same kanji characters in their names on train rides across Taiwan.

Each chapter of the novel highlights a Japanese or Taiwanese dish, and as the two women exchange ideas and share their cultures, a journey through gender, culture, colonialism, and history unfolds.

The center said in a statement that it hopes the tour will help deepen the appreciation for Taiwanese literature and history overseas.