Award-winning Taiwanese writer Kevin Chen (陳思宏) was invited by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL) to give an author talk titled “‘Ghost Town’ and the Translation of Taiwanese Literature” on Dec. 26 in Tainan City.
Chen’s renowned novel “Ghost Town (鬼地方)” is based on his hometown Yongjing Township (永靖鄉) in Changhua County. Besides winning the Annual Golden Grand Laurel Award of the Taiwan Literature Awards (TLA) in 2020, the English-translated version was also recommended by the New York Times in 2022, along with selected in the Library Journal Best Books 2022. Currently, it has been translated into 12 languages.
During the talk, Kevin Chen emphasized the importance of creating original intellectual properties (IP) so that Taiwanese literature can travel even further, adding that the IP of “Ghost Town” was acquired by the local theater group Our Theatre (阮劇團) and they are expected to deliver the show in 2025.
The Ministry of Culture launched several policies to promote Taiwanese literature in the global arena, such as the Books from Taiwan program and the Grant for the Publication of Taiwanese Works in Translation. Additionally, the NMTL established the Taiwan Literature Translation Center in 2012 and the Taiwan Literature in Translation Repository, showcasing outstanding Taiwanese literature to the world.