MOC announces 2016 TIBE Book Prize recipients

2016/01/14

The winners of this year’s Taipei International Book Exhibition Book Prize were announced Jan. 12 by the ROC Ministry of Culture, highlighting the increasingly diverse nature of the local publishing sector.

Novelists Gan Yao-ming, Liu Da-ren and Wang Ting-kuo won for fiction, with film critic Dennis Chan, magazine magnate Chan Hung-chih, as well as interior designer Hsin Yong-sheng and information and communication technology engineer Yang Chao-ching for nonfiction.

MOC Deputy Minister Tsai Ping-kun said the various themes of awarded pieces represent the rich and vibrant cultural landscape in Taiwan. “The government will continue supporting such outstanding talents and promoting writing with local identity.”

According to Tsai, Gan’s work offers a look at the nation’s logging history in Hualien County during the 1970s through the eyes of an indigenous Amis girl. “It employs fantasy and tribal myths to clearly explain the complex local flora and technically harrowing world of timber harvesting equipment,” he said.

Also impressive is Liu’s novel about an ROC national living in the U.S., Tsai said, adding that its emotive theme touches upon subjects such as feelings of emptiness after retirement, a sense of helplessness over Taiwan’s international political status and the weight of isolation within a middle-class family.

Equally praiseworthy is Wang’s story detailing a man’s struggle to ignore the lure of the business world and dedicate himself to locating his missing wife. “The novel appeals in its use of a realistic writing style taking the reader on a suspenseful journey of introspection and reflection,” Tsai said.

On the nonfiction front, the film and documentary reviews of Dennis Chan are of great interest, Tsai said. “His comprehensive knowledge of productions from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and mainland China helps the reader better understand the cultural frameworks of these countries and territories.”

Chan Hung-chih’s collection of global travel trips is similarly intriguing, Tsai said. “It functions like a lifestyle statement rather than a tour guide, following Chan as he embarks upon off-the-cuff expeditions to exotic locations.”

For those eager to learn more about historic homes in Taiwan, Tsai said Hsin and Yan’s book documents some of the traditional features gaining recognition in architecture circles at home and abroad. “Their exhaustive research is helping preserve the buildings for future generations and safeguarding an important aspect of the nation’s heritage.”

Each winner will receive a trophy and cash prize of NT$100,000 (US$2,970) during TIBE’s opening ceremony Feb. 16 at Taipei World Trade Center. First staged in 2008, the book prize is considered one of the leading events of its kind in Asia.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=241219&ctNode=2194&mp=9)