'Taiwan Travelogue' rethinks history, colonialism, and identity

Copies of the novel Taiwan Travelogue, which received the International Booker Prize this year, are seen at a bookstore in Taipei on May 21, 2026. I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images TAIPEI, Taiwan — The novel, Taiwan Travelogue, which explores a journey across the island of Taiwan when it was occupied by Japan has stirred up questions about the island's identity and Taiwan's relationships with both its former colonizer Japan, and China. Written by Taiwanese author Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and translated into English by Taiwanese and American translator Lin King, the book won global acclaim after it took home the 2026 International Booker Prize for the best work of fiction translated into English. Set in the 1930s, the story follows a young Japanese writer, Aoyama Chizuko, as she travels across the island with her Taiwanese translator Ō Chizuru. Through the power imbalance between the two women, their budding romance, and interactions with Taiwanese and Japanese characters alike, the novel raises questions about how Taiwan views its colonial legacy. In China, the book has been accused of contributing to what some see as Taiwan glossin...