Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium

The Taiwan Literature Toolkit has been designed to introduce local and international readers to outstanding
works of Taiwanese literature. For simplicity’s sake, works from Taiwan’s long literary history have been grouped
into sixteen categories: Taiwan Literature under Japanese Colonial Rule, Women’s Writing, Indigenous Literature,
Writings from Military Dependents’ Villages, LGBT Literature, Class in Literature,Religious Literature, Nativist Literature, Diaspora Literature, Modernist Literature, Food in Literature, Young Adult, Landscape in Literature,Vernacular Poetry: Holo and Hakka, Science Fiction and Mystery, and Historical Narrative.

By grouping works into different thematic categories the MOC hopes to illustrate Taiwan literature’s forms,
substance, and ideological content. Researchers and educators in related fields planned, selected, wrote, and
translated introductions to each unit’s ten literary works. Each unit also features a “related content” section,
featuring films, music, documentaries, and books. It is hoped that the website will increase readers’ understanding of and appreciation for Taiwanese literature and highlight the intimate connection between Taiwan’s literary traditions
and other artistic forms.

The 160 works introduced in the Taiwan Literature Toolkit, include poems, essays, and fiction; chronologically, the works span centuries – from early examples of indigenous peoples’ oral literature through writings of the Japanese colonial period to works by young contemporary writers. Both serious literary works and popular writings are represented. Also, as noted above, Taiwan literature encompasses changing eras, writers from different ethnic groups, and works written in a variety of languages. Therefore, in order to overcome the language barrier and attract international readers, the Taiwan Literature Toolkit has given priority to works that have been
translated into English in recent decades, primarily featuring English translations of representative short works of Taiwanese literature. Thus, international readers will find it easier to acquire these translated works and gain a better understanding of their contents.

The Taiwan Literature Toolkit is user­friendly – readers may freely select categories and works of interest to
them. Each category is comprised of several sections, which can be approached step by step. First, “Category
Overview” places works in their historical contexts and explains why they were chosen. Next, “Synopsis”
summarizes the contents of the selections, providing readers with an understanding of the works and the eras in
which they were written. “About the Author” then discusses writers’ backgrounds, lives, and times.

Finally,“Related Content” offers links to films, drama, documentaries, writer interviews, contemporary newspaper clippings,books, and audio recordings of writers reading their work. The Taiwan Literature Toolkit – sixteen categories encompassing 160 works by 147 writers – affords readers in other countries swift and easy access to the multifaceted world of Taiwan literature.

Literature is both a means of aesthetic expression and a mode of thought; it portrays social realities and
explores the limits of the human imagination. Every offering in the Taiwan Literature Toolkit provides a way for
friends in the global community to come to know and understand the land and people of Taiwan.

Please check out the Taiwan Culture Toolkit on http://toolkit-tl.culture.tw/