Booker Prize goes to Yang Shuang-zi for “Taiwan Travelogue”

Set in Japanese-occupied Taiwan in the 1930s, “Taiwan Travelogue” follows two women – a Japanese author and a local translator – who travel through the country together and fall in love. At the award ceremony at the Tate Modern in London, Yang Shuang-zi said: “Literature fundamentally cannot separate itself from politics.” Taiwan has suffered from various colonial powers and endured the threat of invasion over time, she stressed, adding, “I believe in the power of literature.”

The prize is endowed with 50,000 pounds and is awarded half to the author and half to the translator. Books translated into English are honored.