Seminars on Taiwan's independent bookstores, texts set for Malaysia

Taipei, May 27 (CNA) The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Malaysia will join with Eslite Spectrum Kuala Lumpur to host a series of seminars on Taiwan's independent bookstores and literature featuring authors and cultural workers starting May 31.

The second edition of the "Taiwan Literature Seminars," to be held at the Eslite Forum in the Starhill KL shopping mall, will open with the screening of "Poetries from the Bookstores II" (書店裡的影像詩II), a documentary by director Hou Chi-jan (侯季然) on Taiwan's independent bookstores.

The seminars will give participants an understanding of how independent publishing broadens readers' horizons and how people can live more freely and confidently through reading, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture (MOC) said in a recent statement.

Hou will give a seminar on June 7, followed by Chen Shia-min (陳夏民), a visionary independent publisher, on July 5 and Li Hui-chen (李惠貞), an advocate for reading culture, on July 19.

Starting in mid-August, four prominent Taiwanese authors from different generations -- Yang Shuang-zi (楊双子), Hung Ai-chu (洪愛珠), Kuo Chiang-sheng (郭強生) and Ping Lu (平路) -- will share their creative journeys and their enduring commitment to writing in the face of challenges.

These authors' works encompass history, everyday life, and society, highlighting the richness of Taiwanese literature and offering Malaysian readers a window into Taiwanese stories across different periods, according to the Ministry of Culture.