Italian translator wins Pisa award for translation of Taiwan novel

Taipei, Oct. 3 (CNA) Italian translator Silvia Pozzi has won a Pisa Book Translation Award for her translation of "Ghost Town" (鬼地方), a novel by Taiwanese author Kevin Chen (陳思宏).

The Italian edition, titled "Città fantasma," was recognized at a ceremony held Friday at the Palazzo della Sapienza in Rome as part of the Pisa Book Festival, an annual literary event that brings together authors, publishers and readers.

The novel is set in Yongjing, a small town in Changhua County, and follows a man who returns home after serving a prison sentence in Germany for killing his boyfriend. Through his return and interactions with his family, the novel explores family trauma, hometown ties and the lingering impact of Taiwan's past.

In a news release, Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) said Chen's distinctive writing style gives local history a magical, dark and melancholic character, making his work appealing to international publishers.

Without elaborating, Li said the ministry aims to further support the translation of Taiwanese literature by developing translators and improving translation quality, so more Taiwanese works can reach international audiences.

Pozzi is a professor of Chinese and Southeast Asian languages and literature at the University of Milano-Bicocca. Besides "Ghost Town," she has translated Chiu Miao-chin's (邱妙津) "Last Words from Montmartre" (蒙馬特遺書) and Wu Ming-yi's (吳明益) "The Man with the Compound Eyes" (複眼人) into Italian. She has also been commissioned by an Italian publisher to translate Yang Shuang-tzu's (楊双子) "Taiwan Travelogue" (台灣漫遊錄), which won the International Booker Prize earlier this year.

"Ghost Town" has received international recognition, including multiple mentions in The New York Times Book Review in 2022 and a place on the 2023 PEN Translation Prize longlist. Its translation rights have been sold in more than 10 languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Thai.