Wroclaw: Taiwanese author Li Ang opened the Polish edition of Authors' Reading Month at the Wroclaw Literature House in Wroclaw, Poland, with a captivating reading from her latest work that delves into Taiwan's supernatural folklore and religious traditions.
According to Focus Taiwan, Li Ang's new book, "The River Woman on the Other Shore," presents a magical world, inviting the Polish audience to explore Taiwan's mystical narratives. During the event, Li read selected passages in Mandarin, with a Polish translation projected onto the stage for the audience.
In a dialogue with T¡na Dluho‚¬¦¡ov¡, director of the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Li highlighted Taiwan's unique cultural landscape, describing it as a small island rich with mountains, ghosts, and spirits. She noted that Taiwan's embrace of multiple religions, including Christianity, provides fertile ground for storytelling.
Li expressed her desire for more Taiwanese writers to explore the island's supernatural traditions and folk beliefs, fostering a unique Taiwanese form of magical realism. Her "Supernatural Trilogy," completed last year with her latest novel, aims to reconnect these traditions.
The author also touched on the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, which is a thematic element in her novel. She explained a Taiwanese belief that the deceased consume a memory-erasing soup from the River Woman before moving to the afterlife. Li shared that a religious mentor once told her she retained some memories, giving her a unique perspective.
Dluho‚¬¦¡ov¡ introduced Li as a significant contemporary Taiwanese writer whose work addresses themes of gender, political violence, and identity. Li's renowned work, "The Butcher's Wife," was translated into Polish in 2023.
The Polish edition of Authors' Reading Month, running from June 6-22 in Wroclaw and Cieszyn, features Taiwan as the guest of honor this year. Katarzyna Janusik, director of Wroclaw Literature House, expressed enthusiasm about hosting Taiwanese literature during this period.
Taiwan's Ministry of Culture stated that the event showcases a diverse group of Taiwanese authors, spanning feminist writing, Indigenous literature, ocean literature, historical nonfiction, queer literature, and immigrant literature. The Authors' Reading Month is recognized as the largest literary festival in Central Europe, conducted annually since 2000 across the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine.