Seoul: Yang Shuang-zi, the 2026 winner of the prestigious International Booker Prize, expressed her aspiration for literature to act as a powerful and enduring tool for societal transformation by conveying messages to future generations. Yang made these remarks during a press conference in Seoul, following her recent recognition for her historical novel "Taiwan Travelogue," which delves into themes of love, food, colonialism, and identity through the relationship between a Japanese novelist and her Taiwanese interpreter.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yang and her translator, Lin King, are the first pair to win the prestigious prize for an East Asian novel since South Korean author Han Kang and translator Deborah Smith received the award for Han's acclaimed work "The Vegetarian" in 2016. Yang highlighted the gradual impact of literature, stating, "The power of literature is not swift. It does not work in the way an ill person recovers from a disease by taking medication or undergoing surgery."
Yang further elaborated, "But through literature, we extend our conversations until we manage to find common ground. Although that conversation may take a long time, perhaps a longer time than a person's entire life, that is what we have to do." Identifying herself as a social activist, Yang acknowledged feeling "impatient" about the limited time available to effect change in the world. "But we all know that society does not change at once. So what I hope is that literature will extend its lifespan, one that is longer than each of our individual lives, allowing the next generation to take over," she said.
Yang, whose work intertwines history and women's lives, expressed her goal as a writer to document the history of women's unwritten dreams. She noted, "When I was young, it was difficult to find stories with women as main characters or those depicting their career growth. As an adult, I wanted to tell these kinds of stories to younger women. I want to write about things that are not written down in history through literature."
During her recent interactions with readers in South Korea, Yang observed that readers seemed to empathize with the Taiwanese translator's perspective, possibly due to the shared history of Japanese colonial rule between South Korea and Taiwan. She noted that the translation of many Taiwanese literary works into Korean could serve as a window for South Koreans to learn about the diverse facets of Taiwan.
Following her Booker Prize win, Yang has been busy and aims to finish two books by 2029, including one set in the present day, which she plans to complete within the year. "After that, I want to pour all my heart and energy into my third history novel ... one that centers on women and their jobs. A lot of research is needed on women and their jobs from 100 years ago, so I plan to concentrate all my energy on it," she concluded.