When Taiwaneseauthor Yang Shuang-zi's Taiwan Travelogue won the 2026 international Booker Prize, it marked a historic breakthrough on the global stage. But behind the triumph lay a sharp geopolitical reality. On stage, English translator Lin King voiced the anxiety looming over Taiwan.
"In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, I made the explicit decision that rather than translating Sinophone works indiscriminately, I would only translate writing from Taiwan for the foreseeable future. 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, 'I really should come visit you in Taiwan while it still exists.'" King said this in her acceptance speech. Taiwan Travelogue follows a young Japanese writer visiting Japanese-colonized Taiwan in May 1938 on an official government-sponsored lecture tour.
As she and her Taiwanese interpreter explore local street food together, a subtle intimacy unfolds between them. It is written in a narrative that centers Taiwan's history rather than Beijing's preferred Great China framework. "Literature and politics are directly connected.
Politics determines the allocation of resources, and the allocation of resources determines which works get pulled out, held up high, and defined as 'good literature.' The idea that politics can just be kept out of it doesn't exist," Yang told DW. A few days after the Booker Prize was announced, China's Taiwan Affairs Office reacted that, "Writers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait should firmly uphold a national standpoint, respect historical facts, and squarely face the immense suffering inflicted upon the Chinese people ... by Japan's war of aggression and fascism." "From China's perspective, they do not want to see Taiwan's voice gain prominence." Yang said. Her book demonstrates that Taiwanese culture is shaped by multiple historical strands — including Indigenous, Japanese colonial, and local Han influences, rather than being merely a "branch of Chinese culture." During Yang's German book tour this October, an event in Literaturhaus München sparked controversy when her interpreter significantly shortened certain statements concerning Taiwan, China and historical politics.
The interpreter later admitted oversights and shortcomings in the interpretation but denied deliberately deleting content due to political stance or the political situation in Taiwan. Beijing claims Taiwan as a Chinese province and has long threatened to use force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan's democratically elected president has rejected Beijing's assertion that its laws apply to Taiwan.
Since 1949, Taiwan has functioned with de facto independence, maintaining its own government, military, and legal systems while facing ongoing military pressure from Beijing. In the past, China's monitoring of Taiwanese international engagement has reached far further than words over a literature prize. "The target of suppression and harassment primarily include outspoken individuals, exiled activists, diaspora community organizers, alongside their family members and close affiliates back home.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
