With support from the Ministry of Culture, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney collaborates with the Taiwan Film Festival in Australia to host the “Taiwanese Bookshelves (臺灣書櫃)” program, promoting Taiwanese Indigenous literature.
Taking place from May 7 to 9 in Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne, the program features Paelabang Danapan (孫大川), who was invited to engage with Australian audiences and share insights into Taiwanese Indigenous culture, language, and literature.
Born in 1953 and a member of the Puyuma Tribe, Paelabang Danapan holds a master’s degree in Sinology from KU Leuven in Belgium. He has taught at several universities, including Soochow University and National Taiwan University. In 2009, he was appointed Minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples and later served as a Senior Adviser to the President of Taiwan.
In 1993, Paelabang Danapan founded Mountain Sea Culture Magazine (山海文化), the first publication in Taiwan dedicated to Indigenous literature and culture. In 1995, the magazine launched the Mountain Sea Literature Awards (山海文學獎)—the first literary prize in Taiwan specifically for Indigenous writers.
Among his notable publications are “Longing for Spirit (久久酒一次),” “Constructing Ethnic Identity in a Narrow Space (夾縫中的族群建構：台灣原住民的語言、文化與政治),” and “Notes from Da Lu Wan (搭蘆灣手記).”
Established in 2021 at the Taiwan Film Festival in Australia, the “Taiwanese Bookshelves” initiative introduces the diverse literary voices of Taiwan. For more information, visit the event’s official website.