Taiwanese literature is finding a footing Central and Eastern Europe, as seen in the growing interest at events like Book World Prague. James Baron explores how politics in the region are fostering cultural exchanges that highlight Taiwan’s unique identity. Literature serves as a bridge between Taiwan and these European countries, reflecting shared democratic values and a resistance to authoritarianism.
Hsu says there are similarities in the tragedies that beset artistic life in both Ukraine and Taiwan in the 20th century. During the White Terror period in Taiwan under the Kuomintang, which began in the late 1940s, artists and writers were among the thousands of victims of repression, says Hsu. This, he says, is analogous to the Executed Renaissance, a generation of Ukrainian-language literati exterminated by the Soviet regime 20 years earlier.