The Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, in partnership with the Han Culture Centre Malaysia, has launched an exchange program that focuses on the translation of paranormal books by Taiwanese and Malaysian authors.
As part of the initiative, two novels－"Mô͘-sîn-á (魔神仔)" by Taiwanese novelist Wang Chia-hsiang (王家祥) and "Srengenge (石靈山)" by Malaysian novelist Shahnon bin Ahmad－have been translated into three different languages: Mandarin, Malay, and English; the novels are available in the National Library of Malaysia (Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia), the Institute of Language and Literature (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka) as well as various universities, to promote cultural exchange through literature.
Centered around the popular paranormal genre in Malaysian society, this program has been jointly promoted by both public and private entities. The translation and editorial team believes that this program is interesting and highly beneficial as it attempts to explore uncharted territories. Having been participating in the program for years, the Institute of Language and Literature hopes to continue recommending more literary works to avid readers through literary translation.
To attract more attention from the general public, particularly the younger generation, the covers of the translated works were designed by the renowned Malaysian illustrator, Charis Ng (吳慧婷), who excels in expressing abstract concepts through aesthetic images. To capture the mysterious essence of the novels, the covers feature birds and black monkeys, which symbolize the enigmatic mountain spirit, rendered in dark tones.
In addition, students from the De Institute of Creative Arts and Design of UCSI University were invited to propose their cover design projects for sample chapters of the novels. Finally, the winning designs were the works of Anastasia Audrey Lazuardi and Pooja Vinod Nathani. The aim of the project was to provide students with the opportunity to bridge theory and practice, while fostering their understanding of the cultural differences between Taiwan and Malaysia.