The 2023 Taiwan Literature Awards (TLA) for Books ceremony was held at the Huashan Creative Park, Taipei on Nov. 11. Culture Minister Shih Che, Director Nikky Lin (林巾力) of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL), and other guests were invited to celebrate the accomplishments in the literary field.
Chen Lieh (陳列) received the Annual Golden Grand Laurel Award with “The Book of Wreckage (殘骸書).” He expressed gratitude to the former Director of the National Human Rights Museum, Chen Chun-hung (陳俊宏), for establishing a residency project in the museum, which gave him the courage and determination to finish the book. He hopes that more people can get to know, understand, and reflect on the history of the White Terror in Taiwan through “The Book of Wreckage.”
In the opening speech, Minister Shih said that TLA reflects the colorful results accumulated on the democratic land of Taiwan, as well as the vibrant energy of writing and publishing on the island. The Ministry of Culture will not only continue to support writers in the country, he added, but also facilitate more translation projects so that the world can see the diverse culture of Taiwan.
Director Lin pointed out that the TLA 2023 finalists and award winners profoundly depicted themes such as the history of the nation, indigeneity, social movements, and the authors’ inner world with keen observation of society and humanity.
On the other hand, NMTL mentioned that a series of seminars with the award recipients will be held from Nov. 18 to Dec. 17 at several locations, including Taoyuan Public Library, Paper Books (梓書房) in Taichung, NMTL in Tainan, TaKaoBooks (三餘書店) in Kaohsiung, New Taipei City Library, along with Taiwan Literature Base, Sanmin Bookstore (三民書局), and Youhe book store (有河書店) in Taipei.
For more information, please visit the TLA website or their Facebook page.