Yang Shuang-zi
Yang Shuang-zi | |
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| Notable work | Taiwan Travelogue |
| Awards | Golden Tripod Award Best Translation Award National Book Award for Translated Literature |
Yang Shuang-zi (simplified Chinese: 杨双子; traditional Chinese: 楊双子; pinyin: Yáng shuāngzǐ) is a Taiwanese writer. Her book, Taiwan Travelogue, translated from Mandarin Chinese into English by Lin King, won the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2024.[1]
Name
[edit]Yang's name "Shuang-zi" is a pen name meaning "twins". Yang, named Yang Jo-tzu (simplified Chinese: 杨若慈; traditional Chinese: 楊若慈; pinyin: Yáng ruòcí), grew up mostly interested in writing literature, whereas her twin sister, Yang Jo-hui (simplified Chinese: 杨若晖; traditional Chinese: 楊若暉; pinyin: Yáng ruòhuī), was more interested in historical research and translation; Yang Jo-hui passed away from cancer in 2015, after which Yang Jo-tzu adopted the name "Shuang-zi" for herself to honor her twin sister whom she shared many literary and artistic pursuits with.[2]
Career
[edit]In 2020, Yang released Taiwan Travelogue, originally in Mandarin Chinese, published by Springhill Publishing. The book went on to win a Golden Tripod Award in 2021.[3] Later, the book was translated to Japanese and published by Chuokoron-Shinsha. The Japanese translation subsequently won Japan's Best Translation Award in 2024.[4] The same year, Yang and King won the National Book Award for Translated Literature for their joint writer-translator effort on the English publication of Taiwan Travelogue, published by Graywolf Press.[1]
Taiwan Travelogue follows Aoyama Chizuru, a Japanese writer who arrives in Taiwan in 1938 during Japanese occupation, and slowly begins to fall in love with her interpreter.[5] Kirkus Reviews called it "A moving account of friendship in the shadow of the Japanese Southern Expansion policy"; Publishers Weekly stated "Yáng offers rich reflections on colonialism and translation along with delightful depictions of Taiwanese delicacies."[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Mulroy, Clare. "Percival Everett's 'James' wins the National Book Award for fiction: See all winners". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ "'Taiwan Travelogue' wins U.S. National Book Award for Translated Literature - Focus Taiwan". Focus Taiwan - CNA English News. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ "《臺灣漫遊錄》奪美國國家圖書獎！楊双子：為答「台灣人是什麼人」而寫". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ "Taiwanese work receives Japan's best translation award - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 2024-05-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ Habib, Shahnaz (November 15, 2024). "A Translation of a Translation of a Novel Within a Novel". The New York Times.
- ^ TAIWAN TRAVELOGUE | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "Taiwan Travelogue by Shuang-Zi Yang". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.