Taiwanese novel prompts reflection on colonial past among Indian readers

New Delhi, Nov. 8 (CNA) Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-zi's (楊双子) novel Taiwan Travelogue has resonated deeply with Indian readers since its release last month, with many saying its portrayal of identity under Japanese rule reflects their own colonial experience.

For many Indian readers, Yang's book has offered a rare window into Taiwan -- a place seldom featured in India's cultural imagination, according to publishing professionals who attended her book talk in New Delhi on Nov. 6.

"This book is a great introduction to Taiwan -- the food, the culture, the history," said Divyanshi Dash, who works in publishing.

Set a century ago, the novel traces daily life and self-discovery under colonial rule. "There are a lot of things that are different from the present Taiwan, but reading about Taiwan's history has made me more interested in its present as well," Dash said.

Veteran editor and journalist Swati Daftuar said the book's strength lies in how it allows Indian readers to view colonialism through a perspective beyond their own.

The book has "become a bridge" between Taiwan and India, she said, revealing how colonial structures seep into everyday life -- from writing and food to travel.

She noted that just as Japanese-era soups became part of Taiwan's culinary identity, India's enduring use of tea and sugar shows how colonial imports have woven themselves into local culture.

For Yang, such reflections are exactly what she hoped her work would evoke.

Colonial history is the heart of her novel, though wrapped in layers of storytelling, she said at the event, adding that she wanted to depict the complex emotions Taiwanese people still feel toward Japan.

Facing that history means acknowledging contradiction, and people cannot just embrace the parts they like and ignore the rest, she said. "We need to recognize the wounds and the power structures that shaped who we are."

Yang also found the India-Taiwan parallels deeply meaningful, citing extensive railway systems built during their colonial periods by the British and Japanese, respectively.

Those railways connected people across regions, helping them feel, perhaps for the first time, that they belonged to the same land, she said. "Despite differences in ethnicity, language or lifestyle, people began to recognize each other as part of the same nation."

Taiwan Travelogue, which won the 2024 U.S. National Book Award for Translated Literature -- the first Taiwanese work to do so -- was launched in India in October.