Chinese Name: 何致和
Born: 1967
Birthplace: Taipei (Northern Taiwan)
Did You Know That…?
Ho Chih-ho is a Taiwanese contemporary writer and literary translator. He specializes in novel writing, and his works have received several prestigious awards, including the United Daily News Literary Award and Taiwan Literature Awards. His notable translated works include “The Dogs of Babel (巴別塔之犬),” “The Bone Collector (人骨拼圖),” “White Noise (白噪音),” “The Ugly Little Boy (醜男孩),” and “Time’s Arrow (時間箭).”
Born in Wanhua District (萬華區), Taipei City, in 1967, Ho holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Chinese Culture University (中國文化大學), an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from National Dong Hwa University (東華大學), and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Fu Jen Catholic University (天主教輔仁大學). Before becoming a full-time translator in 2000, he worked as an associate editor at ECHO Magazine (漢聲雜誌) and later as editor-in-chief at New Rain Publisher (新雨出版社). He is currently an assistant professor of the Department of the Chinese Literature Creation and Writing Section at Chinese Culture University.
Ho’s passion for literature was sparked when he bought “Grimms’ Fairy Tales” at a used book stall as a child, a pivotal moment that shaped his lifelong connection with books and storytelling. Additionally, as his family ran a photography store, he was recruited into his high school’s journal club, where he began writing poetry and fiction, marking the start of his literary journey.
In 2002, Ho published his first short stories collection, “The Night When the Night Was Lost (失去夜的那一夜).” Three years later, he published his first novel “The Melancholy of the White City (白色城市的憂鬱).” In 2008, drawing from his military service experience at Matsu Islands, he wrote “The Offshore Island Bible (外島書).” In 2013, he published “The Tree Fort on Carnation Lane (花街樹屋),” which follows the story of three children growing up in 1986, a time when Taiwan’s fight for democracy was reaching a critical turning point.
Renowned for his ability to craft vivid scenes with innovative vocabulary, Ho’s works are highly accessible to readers. His writing is often inspired by personal experiences, leading critics to describe him as “a temperate and reserved writer who excels at drawing from everyday life.” Influenced by Anton Chekhov’s principle of avoiding excessive adjectives and adverbs, Ho said that he aims to suppress his own emotions in his stories, ensuring they do not become overly indulgent.
In 2022, Ho received Taiwan Literature Awards with his novel “Underground Station (地鐵站).” The novel explores the norms and challenges of contemporary life, tackling themes such as marital crises, cyberbullying, dementia care, and loneliness. Using the underground station’s dense crowds as a metaphor, Ho highlights the contrast between urban bustle and personal isolation. His narrative portrays modern life as a constant oscillation between collapse and fleeting joy, with people navigating their existence by seeking moments of balance.