The awarding ceremony for the 2019 Taiwan Literature Award (臺灣文學金典獎) was held at Taipei Marriott Hotel on Tuesday (Nov. 12) in tandem with a networking event to better connect literature with the island’s audiovisual industry.
Sinophone Malaysian writer Chang Kuei-hsing (張貴興), 63, was honored with the grand prize for his novel “Wild Boar Crosses the River” (野豬渡河) and took home NT$1 million (US$32,800), according to the Ministry of Culture (MOC).
The work, which took 17 years to write, revolves around the invasion of British North Borneo by Japanese forces during the Second World War. Set against the backdrop of jungle warfare, the tale is infused with cryptography and intriguing metaphors, said the award organizers.
In an innovative approach, the award ceremony took place alongside a networking event running from Nov. 12 through 14 at Taipei Marriott Hotel. This provided an opportunity for the winning literary works to be introduced to audiovisual industry players, which increases the odds of their adaptation to the silver screen.
The works will also have a higher chance of being translated into other languages, which serves to support the government's campaign over the years to promote Taiwan's content economy, said the MOC.
A complete list of award winners can be found on the MOC website. To learn more about the award, visit the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (臺灣文學館) website.
