Taiwan Travelogue Wins the International Booker Prize

On the evening of 19th May, the winner of the International Booker Prize — the major award in the world of English-translated literature—was announced by the Chair of the judges panel, renowned British novelist Natasha Brown. Taiwan Travelogue, written by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and translated into English by Lin King, won the award, making it the first Taiwanese work ever to do so. Minister of Culture Li Yuan immediately sent congratulatory letters to Yáng and King, thanking them for allowing the world to see Taiwan.

During her acceptance speech, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ remarked that while some believe art and literature should stay away from politics, she believes literature cannot be separated from the land where it grows. In that sense, literature has inherently never been detached from politics. Looking back at the century-long history of Taiwanese literature, it has constantly been asking: What kind of future do Taiwanese people want? What kind of country do Taiwanese people want? Today, Taiwan Travelogue joins the ranks of those exploring these very questions. Having lived through colonial regimes and now facing threats of aggression, can literature possess power in front of superpowers with such disparate strength? Yáng emphasized that she has always believed literature does have power. Literature may seem slow, but it always acts resolutely; literature is usually quiet, but that does not prevent its convictions from spreading far and wide; translation may cause a time lag, but it can transcend the limitations of time and space. "I believe literature has power," Yáng said, because in the world of thought, literature has never given up on defending the self, nor has it given up on dialogue with others.

Yáng Shuāng-zǐ went on to thank the International Booker Prize, her translator Lin King, and everyone who helped her reach this stage. At the end of her speech, she dedicated the honour to her homeland, Taiwan, stating that the century-long inquiry of Taiwanese literature is, in reality, the century-long pursuit of freedom and equality by the Taiwanese people. " I’m fortunate to be born a Taiwanese, and I’m proud to stand here as a writer from Taiwan".

In her speech, Lin King shared that when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, she made a definitive decision: for the foreseeable future, she would no longer indiscriminately translate Sinophone works, but would only translate writings from Taiwan. "I will continue to do so until the day comes that my homeland's sovereignty is no longer a provocation or a punchline. Until no English speaker feels comfortable saying to me glibly, I really should come visit you in Taiwan while it still exists." King mentioned that during the translation process of Taiwan Travelogue, she knew she was taking on many risks, but she viewed the project as an experimental challenge to English publishing conventions. Generally, English translated literature prefers translation and translators to remain "invisible". However, this book features translator’s footnotes, an introduction, and an afterword, and the same written Chinese characters utilize three different phonetic systems. Compared to the original text, the English edition requires more effort from readers precisely because it refuses to simplify the multilingual, multiethnic, and multicultural reality of Taiwan.

King expressed that she initially thought the English version of Taiwan Travelogue would only attract a small niche of readers. However, since its publication in the U.S. in 2024, it has garnered unprecedented and massive attention. The international spotlight has turned this book into a prominent and shining example back in Taiwan, proving that Taiwan can tell its own stories abroad. Yet, she added, no single novel should have to shoulder the burden of speaking for an entire country. King stated that her expectation for herself and her fellow translators is to bring the diverse voices of Taiwan into the English-speaking world so that no one can reduce Taiwanese literature to a monolith. "We are not singing in unison, but rather a cacophony of voices, full of contradictions and a rebellious spirit, just like any robust democratic society".

King expressed her gratitude to the US publisher Graywolf Press, her bold editor Yuka Igarashi, and the UK publisher And Other Stories, who willingly put the translator's name on the front cover. Concluding her speech, she noted that in the United States, orange juice is labeled as either "no pulp" or "with pulp," but a few days ago she learned that in the UK, it is categorized as "smooth" or "with juicy bits". She hoped that people would start viewing translation not just as "pulp," but as "juicy bits," and proudly display it on the packaging.

Minister of Culture Li Yuan watched the live stream of the awards ceremony. He shared that he had a premonition that Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and Lin King would win because the content of the work is universal, yet its form is innovative. He also felt that it is finally time for Taiwanese literary works and Taiwanese culture to move to the center of the world stage. Today happens to mark exactly two years since he stepped into his role at the Ministry of Culture. Yáng and King winning the award at this precise moment is the best possible gift for the Ministry of Culture and Taiwan's cultural sector. "Thank you, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and Lin King, for letting the world see Taiwan. Let’s keep pushing forward together".

According to the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, the UK edition of Taiwan Travelogue has sold over 10,000 copies since its publication in March this year. Since learning that Taiwan Travelogue had been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, the Cultural Division has actively collaborated with the UK publisher And Other Stories to arrange a book tour for Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and Lin King in the London area. Two panel events held on 17th May at Round Table Books and 18th May at the SOAS University of London, not only drew packed audiences and enthusiastic Q&A sessions but were also followed by book signings. A third panel event will take place on 22nd May at the BookBar Chelsea bookstore, featuring renowned British food writer Fuchsia Dunlop as a guest speaker. The discussion will approach the novel from the perspective of food and cuisine, guiding British readers further into the world of Taiwan Travelogue.

Furthermore, prior to these events, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and Lin King traveled to Bristol on 15th May to participate in the "International Booker Prize Shortlist Readings" event organized by the foundation. Alongside the authors and translators of the other five shortlisted works, they read excerpts from their book in both the original language and English. The event was hosted by Fiammetta Rocco, the International Booker Prize’s Administrator, who conducted onstage interviews with the authors and translators. Yáng and King read a passage from Chapter Eight of Taiwan Travelogue, titled "Sukiyaki". At the beginning of the interview, host Fiammetta Rocco mentioned that upon seeing Fuchsia Dunlop's glowing blurb on the back cover, she immediately knew "this book would be right up her alley".

Following their International Booker Prize win, the organizers have lined up several additional events for Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and Lin King. These include panel events on 21st May at Waterstones Piccadilly in London and on 24th May at the famous Hay Festival in the Welsh book town of Hay-on-Wye, allowing local readers to further engage with the winners and discover the rich contents of Taiwan Travelogue.

《臺灣漫遊錄》獲英國國際布克獎 臺灣作品首度獲獎

英語翻譯文學界的重要獎項英國國際布克獎（International Booker Prize）於英國時間5月19日晚間（臺灣今早）由國際布克獎評審團主席、著有《集合體》等書的英國知名小說家娜塔夏．布朗（Natasha Brown）宣布，楊双子著作、金翎英譯的《臺灣漫遊錄》獲獎，成為首部獲獎的臺灣作品。文化部長李遠第一時間向楊双子與金翎致贈賀函，並感謝楊双子與金翎，讓世界看到臺灣。

楊双子致詞時表示，有些人認為藝術與文學必須遠離政治，但他認為，文學無法自外於所生長的土地，就此而言，文學本質上從來沒有脫離政治。綜觀臺灣文學發展史，百年來其實不斷在探問，臺灣人想要什麼樣的未來？臺灣人想要什麼樣的國家？時至今日，《臺灣漫遊錄》也加入探問這個問題的行列之一。臺灣人歷經殖民政權，面臨侵略威脅，在力量懸殊的強權面前，文學有力量嗎？而他始終相信文學有力量。文學看似緩慢，但總是堅定行動；文學通常安靜，卻並不妨礙信念遠播；翻譯會造成時差，但可以跨越時間與空間的限制。楊双子說，「我相信文學有力量」，因為在思想的世界裡，文學從來沒有放棄堅守自我，也沒有放棄與他人對話。

楊双子在致詞中謝謝國際布克獎，謝謝本書的譯者金翎，謝謝促成他走到這裡的每一個人。致詞最後，他獻給故鄉臺灣，臺灣文學的百年探問，實際正是臺灣人百年來對自由與平等的追求，「能夠生為一名臺灣人，是我的幸運；能夠以臺灣作家的身分站在這裡，是我的驕傲」。金翎致詞時說，2022年俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭時，他做了明確的決定，在可預見的未來，不再無差別地翻譯任何華語作品，而只翻譯來自臺灣的創作。「我會持續這樣做，直到有一天，我的家鄉主權在英語世界裡不再是一種挑釁或笑話」，直到沒有任何人會臉不紅氣不喘地對他說，「我真應該去臺灣看看，趁它還在的時候」。金翎提到，《臺灣漫遊錄》的英譯過程中，他知道會承擔許多風險，但他視這個計畫是對英文業界慣例的實驗性挑戰，因為一般來說，英文的翻譯文學認為翻譯及譯者，最好都是『隱形』的，但在這本書裡，有譯者注腳、序與後記，相同的書面漢字有3種不同的發音系統。比起原作，英文版需要讀者投入更多的心力，正因為它拒絕簡化臺灣多語言、多族群、多元文化的現實。

金翎說，原以為《臺灣漫遊錄》英文版只會吸引一小群的讀者，但自2024年在美國出版以來，它卻獲得未曾預料的強大關注，國際鎂光燈也讓這本書在臺灣成為一個突出且耀眼的範例，證明臺灣可以在國外訴說自己的故事，但沒有任何一本小說應該扛起幫整個國家發聲的重擔。金翎提到，他對自己及同儕譯者的期許，是將來自臺灣的各種聲音帶入英語世界，以致任何人都無法將臺灣文學簡化為鐵板一塊，「我們不是齊聲合唱，而是眾聲喧譁，充滿矛盾且不羈的精神，正如任何一個強健的民主社會」。金翎感謝美國出版社Graywolf Press、大膽的編輯Yuka Igarashi，以及願意將譯者姓名放在封面上的英國出版社And Other Stories。他在致詞最後說道，在美國柳橙汁會標示為「無果泥」或「含果泥」，幾天前他才知道，在英國則分為「smooth（滑順）」或「with juicy bits（帶有多汁果粒）」。希望大家可以開始認為翻譯不只是「果泥」，而是「多汁的果粒」，並且驕傲地把它標示在包裝上。

文化部長李遠今天早上準時5點就起床等待頒獎典禮的同步直播，他說，有一種預感是楊双子和金翎會得獎，因為這本作品的內容是普世性的，可是形式卻是創新的，而且他覺得現在應該是臺灣文學作品及臺灣文化站到世界中心的時候了。今天剛好也是他來到文化部滿兩年的日子，楊双子和金翎在此刻獲獎，對於文化部及臺灣文化界是最好的禮物，「謝謝楊双子和金翎，讓世界看到臺灣，大家一起加油」。

文化部駐英國代表處文化組表示，英國版《臺灣漫遊錄》今年3月出版迄今，已銷售逾1萬冊。自獲知《臺灣漫遊錄》入圍國際布克獎決選名單以來，駐英文化組即積極與《臺灣漫遊錄》英國出版社And Other Stories規劃安排楊双子與金翎在倫敦地區進行巡迴講座活動，5月17日在Round Table Books書店、5月18日在倫敦大學亞非學院（SOAS）舉辦兩場講座活動，不僅吸引滿場讀者參與及踴躍提問，講座結束後更在現場舉行簽書活動。5月22日將在BookBar Chelsea書店進行第3場講座活動，邀請扶霞‧鄧洛普（Fuchsia Dunlop）擔任與談人，從美食與料理的角度切入，帶領英國讀者進一步踏入《臺灣漫遊錄》的世界。

此外，楊双子與金翎也先於5月15日前往布里斯托（Bristol），參加由主辦單位舉辦的「國際布克獎決選名單入圍者朗讀活動」，與其他5組入圍作品的作者及譯者，共同以原文及英文朗讀書中內容，並由國際布克獎榮譽總監Fiammetta Rocco擔任主持人，與作者及譯者在臺上進行訪談。其中楊双子與金翎朗讀來自《臺灣漫遊錄》第八章〈壽喜燒〉的段落，主持人Fiammetta Rocco在訪談開頭提到，他看到英國知名美食作家扶霞‧鄧洛普在封底的好評，便知道「這部作品是他的菜」。

獲得國際布克獎後，主辦單位也將為得獎者楊双子與金翎安排多場活動，分別是5月21日在倫敦Waterstones Piccadilly書店，以及5月24日在威爾斯著名書鎮海伊（Hay-On-Wye）所舉辦的海伊節（Hay Festival）中，安排講座活動，讓本地讀者進一步與得獎者互動，認識《臺灣漫遊錄》的內容。