Taiwan Travelogue
Taiwan Travelogue is a 2021 novel by Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi. It was published in 2020 in Taiwan.
An English translation by Lin King was published by Graywolf Press on 2024. A German translation by Karin Betz is forthcoming.
Synopsis
Presented as a memoir of the fictional Japanese writer Aoyama Chizuko, the novel tells the story of Chizuko's year in Taiwan, then a Japanese colonial island in 1938. In Taiwan, Chizuko develops a complex relationship with her interpreter Ō Chizuru, who introduces her to local Taiwanese cuisine through their travels around the island.Reception
In 2021, the novel received the Golden Tripod Award. In 2024, the English translation of the book won the National Book Award for Translated Literature. It is the first Taiwanese book to win the award.The English translation of the book has been well received in India following its October 2025 introduction into that market. Many readers see similarities between India and Taiwan's colonial pasts.