A short anthology aiming to capture the spirit of Taiwan literature through six translated stories will be released by French publishing house Megellan et Cie on March 15.
“Nouvelles de Taiwan” will be part of the publisher’s “Miniatures” series, in which editor Pierre Astier encapsulates the literature of each country around the world through a selection of short stories by six local writers. The ongoing series currently comprises 35 anthologies featuring 250 writers from around the world.
Moreover, each anthology is carefully curated to ensure an equal number of female and male writers. In this case, the three female writers are Ko Yu-fen (柯裕棻), Tsai Suh-fen (蔡素芬), and Sabrina Huang (黃麗群), who will be featured alongside their male counterparts Kan Yao-ming (甘耀明), Tong Wei-ger (童偉格), and Kao Yi-feng (高翊峰).
The selection was made by Pierre-Yves Baubry (博磊) – founder of Lettres de Taiwan, a French site dedicated to Taiwanese literature – upon the invitation of literary agent and “Miniatures” series editor Astier.
Noting that all six stories were written after the year 2000, Baubry explained that he was looking for stories that would reflect the geopolitical instability and tensions of Taiwan, yet convey the leisure and deep-rooted freedom in everyday Taiwanese life.
As part of the book launch, featured author Sabrina Huang will hold two events at French book fair Livre Paris on March 18. Magellan et Cie (34 rue Ramey 75018 Paris) will also host an open night for readers to meet the Taiwanese writer on March 20.
“Nouvelles de Taiwan” is published with support from the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris. The six stories chosen for the anthology are listed below:
Kan Yao-ming
« Le cinéma de Grand-Mère Nouilles »
Kao Yi-feng
« Moustique et Mer »
Tong Wei-ger
« Lâcher de pigeons »
Tsai Suh-fen
« Le pêcheur »
Sabrina Huang
« Les dégustations »
Ko Yu-fen
« Le frigo »