Chinese Name: 林文欽
Born: 1954年
Birthplace: Yunlin County (Southern Taiwan)
Did You Know That… ?
Despite facing pressure from the authoritative government, Lim Bun-kim remained steadfast in his commitment to systematically publishing books on Taiwan’s culture, literature, history, geography, and language, thereby sharing extensive knowledge of the island with the public.
Upon graduating from the Department of Chinese Literature at the Chinese Culture University, Lim Bum-kim began his career in 1979 as an editor at San Min Book Co., Ltd. (三民書局), the largest private publishing house in Taiwan at that time. Notable among his achievements during this period was the publication of a collection showcasing young Taiwanese writers. However, this led to his realization that Taiwan-born writers were not appreciated in the industry. Consequently, in 1982, he established the Avanguard Publishing House (前衛出版社), dedicated to realizing publishing projects encompassing Taiwanese literature, politics, humanities, ecology, and world literature. It gained recognition as a private publishing house committed to indigenous concerns while maintaining an international outlook.
Pioneering independent publications, Avanguard stood out to become one of the few in the industry willing to address political issues in Taiwan during the martial law era. It not only introduced books authored by political dissidents such as Kuo Bei-hong (郭倍宏), Su Beng (史明), and Ong Lok-tek (王育德) but also published enlightening books that contributed to Taiwanese society. These titles include “Under the Flag of Ilha Formosa (在美麗島的旗幟下)” by Chen Fang-ming (陳芳明), “Formosa Betrayed” by George Kerr, “A Taste of Freedom (自由的滋味)” by Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and “The Biography of Jiang Jingguo (蔣經國傳)” by Jiang Nan (江南).
As one of the leaders who protested against the government’s tight control, Lim remained devoted to non-mainstream publications for over four decades. He trailblazed the way for Taiwan-centered consciousness by organizing several book series, including the “Taiwan Literature and History (台灣文史叢書),” “New Taiwan Archive (新台灣文庫),” and “Taiwan Nature Series (台灣自然生態叢書),” among others. By integrating research conducted by scholars and writers both at home and abroad, these series laid a foundation for “Taiwanology (台灣學).”
(Photo credit: Avanguard Publishing House)