Taiwanese literature connects with readers at Frankfurt Book Fair

Frankfurt, Oct. 19 (CNA) A book signing event was held Saturday at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany for four Taiwanese authors, drawing international readers eager to explore Taiwanese literature.

The even took place at the Taiwan pavilion and featured crime novelist Katniss Hsiao (蕭瑋萱), fiction writer Kevin Chen (陳思宏), BL (Boys' Love) writer Shi Wu (蒔舞), and manga artist Nownow (小峱峱).

One of the attendees, a prominent figure in the Thai publishing industry, told CNA that he was a big fan of Shi Wu's work and had read all her novels.

Her books are "very charming," featuring fantasy and paranormal elements, depicting relationships between humans and the supernatural, and describing human and non-human elements, said Teerapat Charoensuk, secretary general of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT) and founder of Palo Publishing company.

Karin Betz, a German translator of Katniss Hsiao's crime novel "Before We Were Monsters," told CNA that literature can serve as "strong soft power," opening the way for readers of Taiwanese authors to care about Taiwan and its well-being.

Through a book's descriptions of things like scenes in Taiwan, the streets of Taipei, or home-cooked food, people can learn more about Taiwan in a "very interesting way -- more interesting and rewarding than reading a guidebook on Taiwan," Betz said.

Taiwan is "still an unknown island to most Germans," and there are not enough German translations of books by Taiwanese authors, Betz said, adding that she intends to change that by focusing on doing such translations for the next couple of years.

Meanwhile, in an interview with CNA, fiction writer Kevin Chen said that he and many writers feel "vulnerable," as they struggle in a world where it is increasingly difficult to push sales in the book market.

It is always moving, therefore, to meet readers at a book signing event, Chen said.

"As long as someone sincerely says to me 'I have read your book,' I become more motivated," he said. "It's like taking a vitamin."

According to the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, about 85 percent of Germany's newly published books in 2024 were in German, while 15 percent were translated titles. Of the translated publications, about 70 percent were written originally in English and only 3 percent were in an Asian language, the association said.

The 77th Frankfurt Book Fair, being held Oct. 15-19 in Germany, features more than 1,000 authors and publishers from 92 countries, according to organizers.