Taiwanese Author Wins International Booker Prize

Yang Shuang-zi of Taiwan received The International Booker Prize Tuesday at the Tate Modern in London. The award recognizes fiction translated into English and celebrates literature from around the world. Her winning book, Taiwan Travelogue, appears as a translation of a rediscovered Japanese travelogue from the 1930s, set in Taiwan under Japanese rule.

The judges noted the book’s surprising nature and layers beneath the surface. The International Booker Prize aims to encourage the publication and readership of translated works. Yang Shuang-zi will share the £50,000 prize—roughly 431,000 Danish kroner—with the book’s translator.

Danish author Olga Ravn was previously nominated for the prize but did not make the final selection. No Danish author has yet won The International Booker Prize, despite Solvej Balle’s appearance as a finalist last year. Further translation and recognition of global voices remains an ongoing goal.