Yáng Shuang-zi

Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Translated Literature Winner of the 2024 Baifang Schell Book Prize for Outstanding Translated Literature from Chinese Language Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, Taiwan Travelogue is a bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history and power. Set in May 1938, the young novelist Aoyama Chizuko sails from her home in Nagasaki, Japan to Taiwan upon the invite of the Japanese government ruling the island. She has no interest in official banquets or imperialist agenda but instead finds – with the help and companionship of her Taiwanese interpreter, Chizuru – a desire to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear. Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, lively banter and winter melon tea, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But something causes Chizuru to keep her distance. It’s only after a heartbreaking separation that Chizuko begins to grasp what the “something” is.

May 1938. The young Japanese novelist Aoyama Chizuko arrives in Taiwan on the invitation the Japanese colonial government. With no interest in their imperial agenda, Chizuko longs to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear. Soon, a young Taiwanese woman is hired as her interpreter: the charming, meticulous Chizuru, who provides expert guidance on the Land of the South and cooks her sumptuous meals. Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But the elusive Chizuru seems to keep drawing away - and as conflict begins to simmer between them, Chizuko begins the painful process of understanding why. Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, Taiwan Travelogue is a bittersweet story of love between two women that is shadowed by complexities of language, history and power.

May 1938. The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko has sailed from her home in Nagasaki, Japan, and arrived in Taiwan. She’s been invited there by the Japanese government ruling the island, though she has no interest in their official banquets or imperialist agenda. Instead, Chizuko longs to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear. Soon a Taiwanese woman - who is younger even than she is, and who shares the characters of her name - is hired as her interpreter and makes her dreams come true. The charming, erudite, meticulous Chizuru arranges Chizuko’s travels all over the Land of the South and also proves to be an exceptional cook. Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, lively banter and winter melon tea, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But something causes Chizuru to keep her distance. It’s only after a heartbreaking separation that Chizuko begins to grasp what the “something” is. Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, this novel was a sensation on its first publication in Mandarin Chinese in 2020 and won Taiwan’s highest literary honour, the Golden Tripod Award. Taiwan Travelogue unburies lost colonial histories and deftly reveals how power dynamics inflect our most intimate relationships.

Maukkaalla ruoalla höystetty katkeransuloinen romaani kahden naisen välisestä suhteesta Japanin siirtomaavallan alaisessa Taiwanissa. Vuonna 1938 nuori japanilainen kirjailija Ayoama Chizuko saapuu Taiwanin saarelle. Japanin siirtomaahallinto on tilannut häneltä luentokiertueen, mutta häntä ei kiinnosta virallisissa juhlapöydissä istuminen tai keisarikunnan imperialistisen agendan edistäminen. Hän haluaa mieluummin kokea aidon taiwanilaisen elämäntavan ja tyydyttää hirviömäisen ruokahalunsa paikallisilla herkuilla. Unelmista tulee totta, kun Chizuko kohtaa Chizurun, nuoren taiwanilaisen naisen, josta tulee hänen tulkkinsa - ja oppaansa Taiwanin makujen maailmaan. Matkapäiväkirja Taiwanista valottaa Suomessakin vähemmän tunnettua Japanin ja Taiwanin välistä siirtomaahistoriaa. Samalla romaani osoittaa taitavasti, millainen vaikutus valtarakenteilla voi olla ihmisten välisiin suhteisiin. Kiinankielinen alkuteos esittää olevansa käännös uudelleen löydetystä japanilaisen kirjailijan romaanista. Ilmestyessään vuonna 2020 Matkapäiväkirja Taiwanista oli Taiwanissa myynti- ja arvostelumenestys, ja se voitti kotimaassaan merkittävän Golden Tripod -kirjallisuuspalkinnon. Yang Shuang-zi (s. 1984) on palkittu taiwanilainen kirjailija, joka on kirjoittanut fiktiota, esseitä, mangaa, videopelikäsikirjoituksia ja kirjallisuuskritiikkiä. Matkapäiväkirja Taiwanista on hänen ensimmäinen suomennettu teoksensa. Kirjan on suomentanut Rauno Sainio. ”Yang tarjoaa rikkaita pohdintoja kolonialismista ja käännöksistä sekä ihastuttavia kuvauksia taiwanilaisista herkuista.” - Publishers Weekly "Matkapäiväkirja Taiwanista, National Book Award -voittaja, on maatuskanukkemainen kertomus siirtomaavallasta sen monissa muodoissa." - The New York Times