Taiwan Travelogue, by Yang Shuang-zi and translated into English by Lin King.
This story, set in 1938, transcends time and translation. It is a love letter to food and life. The book is written as though it was an autobiography by fictional author, Aoyama Chizuko, centred around her travels in Taiwan and her discovery of culture and love.
Throughout the book Aoyama Chizuko is taking a journey that manages to speak to the reader through both the author’s translation and translator’s notes, adding layers of depth to an already sumptuous novel. Food acts within the story as almost a second protagonist, utilised in such a way that gives it a whole new host of thought provoking meaning.
Originally written in Mandarin, Taiwan Travelogue is also an ode to culture and translation; the book covers what it means to hold a place of privilege, and how that intersects with living authentically in the only way that we know how.
Reading a story like Taiwan Travelogue is comparable to embarking on a voyage that travels across history to discover what connects us and guides us all.
Published by Graywolf Press. Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Translated Literature and the 2026 International Booker Prize.
Clara Domenicali is a high school student and avid reader. You can follow her substack here: Little Bird or Birdie | Substack