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Yang Shuang-zi

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Yang Shuang-zi
楊双子
Image
Yang Shuang-zi in 2024
Born (1984-07-10) July 10, 1984 (age 41)[citation needed]
Taichung, Taiwan
EducationMaster's degree
Alma materNational Chung Hsing University (B.A., M.A.)
Notable workTaiwan Travelogue
AwardsGolden Tripod Award (2020)
Best Translation Award [ja] (2024)
National Book Award for Translated Literature (2024)
International Booker Prize (2026)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese楊双子
Simplified Chinese杨双子
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYáng Shuāngzǐ
In this Taiwanese name, the surname is Yang.

Yang Shuang-zi (Chinese: 楊双子; pinyin: Yáng Shuāngzǐ; born 1984) is a Taiwanese writer. Her novel Taiwan Travelogue was translated from Mandarin Chinese into English by Lin King. It won the US National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2024,[1] the Baifang Schell Book Prize for Translated Literature from Chinese Language,[2] and the 2026 International Booker Prize.[3][4]

Name

[edit]

Yang's name "Shuang-zi" is a pen name meaning "twins". Yang, named Yang Jo-tzu (杨若慈; 楊若慈; Yáng Ruòcí), grew up mostly interested in writing literature, whereas her twin sister, Yang Jo-hui (杨若晖; 楊若暉; Yáng Ruòhuī), was more interested in historical research and translation; Yang Jo-hui died of cancer in 2015, after which Yang Jo-tzu adopted the name "Shuang-zi" for herself to honor her twin sister, with whom she shared many literary and artistic pursuits.[5] "Shuang-zi" is written in kanji, instead of traditional Chinese characters, as acknowledgement of Yang Jo-hui's interest in Japanese history.[6]

Early life and education

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Yang was born in Taichung, raised in a rural village, and identified with the Republic of China (ROC) as a child and young adult. However, shortly after graduating from National Chung Hsing University with a degree in Chinese literature, she participated in the Wild Strawberries Movement, a protest against Chinese politician Chen Yunlin's 2008 visit to Taiwan. During the demonstrations, police suppressed displays of the ROC flag, an action which Yang later questioned: "Isn't the action something we take for granted? I didn't understand why we couldn't do it. It made me question why I was so unfamiliar with the land where I grew up." The protest inspired Yang to pursue a master's degree in Taiwanese literature, which she completed in 2012. Over the course of her graduate studies, Yang came to fully identify as Taiwanese. Yang later stated that the Sunflower Student Movement of 2014 "made me realize that Taiwan has been facing threats from China" and motivated her to "write something for Taiwan from a perspective only I can see".[7][8]

Career

[edit]

Yang has published fiction, essays, and scripts for manga and videogames.[9][10] In 2020, she released Taiwan Travelogue, originally in Mandarin Chinese, published by Springhill Publishing. The book went on to win Taiwan's Golden Tripod Award in 2021.[11][12]

Taiwan Travelogue follows Aoyama Chizuru, a Japanese writer who visits Taiwan for a year in 1938 during Japanese occupation, and slowly begins to fall in love with her Taiwanese interpreter. Each chapter is themed around a different dish she eats.[13][14]

This section is an excerpt from Taiwan Travelogue § Reception.[edit]

In 2021, the novel received Taiwan's Golden Tripod Award.[15]

In 2023, the book was translated to Japanese and published by Chuokoron-Shinsha. The Japanese translation won Japan's Best Translation Award [ja] in 2024.[16]

Also in 2024, Taiwan Travelogue was translated into English by Lin King and published by Graywolf Press.[17]. Kirkus Reviews called it a "moving account of friendship in the shadow of the Japanese Southern Expansion policy".[18] Publishers Weekly stated "Yáng offers rich reflections on colonialism and translation along with delightful depictions of Taiwanese delicacies."[17] The English translation of the book was well received in India following its October 2025 introduction into that market. Many readers saw similarities between India's and Taiwan's colonial pasts.[19]

The translation won the 2024 National Book Award for Translated Literature; it was the first Taiwanese book to win the award.[20] In 2025, this translation won China Books Review's Baifang Schell Book Prize Award for Outstanding Translated Literature from Chinese Language.[21] In May 2026, it went on to win the International Booker Prize. Natasha Brown, the chair of 2026's International Booker Prize jury, said in a news conference that the novel "pulls off an incredible double feat: It succeeds as both a romance and an incisive post-colonial novel."[22] It was the first book written in Mandarin Chinese and the first book by a Taiwanese author to win the prize.[23]

Personal life

[edit]

Yang is married to her wife Lai Ting-ho.[24][25]

Books

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ Mulroy, Clare. "Percival Everett's 'James' wins the National Book Award for fiction: See all winners". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  2. ^ "Announcing the 2024 Winners". China Books Review. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  3. ^ "The International Booker Prize 2026". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  4. ^ Marshall, Alex (19 May 2026). "International Booker Prize 2026: 'Taiwan Travelogue' is First Winner Originally Written in Mandarin". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  5. ^ "'Taiwan Travelogue' wins U.S. National Book Award for Translated Literature". Central News Agency. 2024-11-21. Archived from the original on 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  6. ^ 陳又津 (3 April 2017). "【鏡相人間】雙子之愛". Mirror Media. Archived from the original on 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  7. ^ Chiu, Tsu-yin; Chao, Yen-hsiang (29 November 2024). "INTERVIEW/In-between: 'Taiwan Travelogue' author Yang Shuang-zi speaks up for motherland". Central News Agency. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Writer | Yang Shuang-zi". Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Everything you need to know about Taiwan Travelogue, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026". The Booker Prizes. 19 May 2026.
  10. ^ Creamer, Ella (19 May 2026). "International Booker prize goes to novel originally written in Mandarin Chinese for the first time". The Guardian.
  11. ^ "'Taiwan Travelogue' receives U.S. National Book Awards for Translated Literature". Ministry of Culture. 21 November 2024. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024. Republished by Taiwan Review Archived 2025-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Taiwan novel wins US National Book Award". Taiwan Today. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  13. ^ Habib, Shahnaz (November 15, 2024). "A Translation of a Translation of a Novel Within a Novel". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Barron, James (9 January 2025). "Book review: Food for thought — a literary feast". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  15. ^ "閱讀隨身聽．特集》作家楊双子／金鼎獎獲獎作《臺灣漫遊錄》ft.很多（台式）小吃". Openbook閱讀誌 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Jan 19, 2022.
  16. ^ "Taiwanese work receives Japan's best translation award". Taipei Times. 2024-05-21. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  17. ^ a b "Taiwan Travelogue by Shuang-Zi Yang". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Taiwan Travelogue". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2025-01-02. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  19. ^ Chin-wei, Lee; Hsin-Yin, Lee. "Taiwanese novel prompts reflection on colonial past among Indian readers". focustaiwan.tw. Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  20. ^ Liao, Tony; Yen-hsiang, Chao (24 May 2025). "'Taiwan Travelogue' U.S. editor surprised by its success". Focus Taiwan – CNA English News.
  21. ^ Liao, Han-yuan; Chiu, Tsu-yin; Chao, Yen-hsiang; Wu, Kuan-hsien (14 May 2025). "'Taiwan Travelogue' wins another award for translated literature". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025. Republished as: "'Taiwan Travelogue' wins another award for translated literature". Taipei Times. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  22. ^ Creamer, Ella (19 May 2026). "International Booker prize goes to novel originally written in Mandarin Chinese for the first time". The Guardian.
  23. ^ Marshall, Alex (19 May 2026). "International Booker Prize 2026: Taiwan Travelogue is First Winner Originally Written in Mandarin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  24. ^ "Executive Yuan honors 'Taiwan Travelogue' writer". Formosa Television. 16 December 2024. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2024. Video
  25. ^ Chao, Min-ya; Lee, Hsin-Yin (12 July 2025). "Woman sanctioned after attacking author's wife during recall campaign". Central News Agency. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  26. ^ "The Season When Flowers Bloom". writingchinese.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  27. ^ "Yang Shuang-Zi 楊双子 Books". tbooksfromtaiwan.moc.gov.tw. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
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