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"Taiwan Travelogue"

Name: "Taiwan Travelogue"
Start: 2026-10-05T19:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-05T23:59:00+02:00
Location: Pinnasberg 80, 20359 Hamburg, Germany

Pinnasberg 80, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg, Germany
Mon, October 5, 2026 (7:30 pm - 11:59 pm)

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Description

Awarded the 2026 International Booker Prize, "Literature cannot fundamentally detach itself from politics," said Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi at the award ceremony at Tate Modern in London, where she was awarded this year's International Booker Prize. She received the prestigious literary award for the English translation of her novel "Taiwan Travelogue." The novel is set in occupied Taiwan in the 1930s and tells the love story between a Japanese author and her Taiwanese translator, who travel across the country together. In poetic and artistic language, Yang Shuang-zi initially describes a romantic journey through the land then occupied by Japan, where the two women enjoy exploring the beauty and culinary diversity of the country. Only upon closer inspection does the author's literary finesse become visible: it is the constraints of unequal power relations and colonialism that ultimately separate the lovers and keep them apart. Politics intrudes into the most private. What does it really mean to try unfamiliar food, and what happens to a relationship when the external dynamics of power subtly influence the conversations of the two women? The novel, disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese author, sheds light on a long-neglected chapter of East Asian history and was a sensational success in Taiwan. Yang Shuang-zi (*1984) is a writer, essayist, and literary critic. "Yang Shuang-zi" is her pseudonym, meaning "Twins." It refers to her deceased twin sister, with whom she originally shared her life.

Highlights

Awarded the 2026 International Booker Prize
Novel about a love story in occupied Taiwan in the 1930s
Poetic exploration of power relations and colonialism

General Information

"Taiwan Travelogue" is an award-winning novel by Yang Shuang-zi, depicting the relationship between a Japanese author and her Taiwanese translator within the historical context of occupied Taiwan. The event takes place in Hamburg and offers a deep insight into the complex themes of love and politics.