Review: The Mermaid's Tale

The Mermaid's Tale by Lee Wei-Jing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting character study. At least I believe it was. But it's just as likely that I missed the point.

Summer is almost obsessed with ballroom dancing, despite knowing she started it too late to become a real champion. This book taught me more about ballroom dancing than I ever thought I wanted to know. Throughout the story, we learn of her partner(s), other dance partners and their fate, as well as her instructor (and his fate).

The story is all the more poignant once you realize the author died of cancer shortly after having finished writing it.


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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊 by Various
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great collection of poetry and short stories, this time focusing on indigenous writers. My favorite was "Names of Our Fathers", by Walis Nokan.


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Review: Florescence—THE TAIPEI CHINESE PEN: A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan, No.208 Spring 2024

Florescence—THE TAIPEI CHINESE PEN: A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan, No.208 Spring 2024 by Various
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some short stories mostly concentrating on AI. As you might imagine, they are basically dystopian, although one states in the afterword: "The foundation of this story and the information it contains about the use and misuse of generative AI in inspirational education were all provided by ChatGPT", which is interesting.

The AI Chronicles, by Ping Lu (translated by Sterling Swallow): This was probably my favorite. A man creates the "ideal" robot with artificial intelligence, and since the robot can teach itself, it becomes smarter, realizes it doesn't need the man, and yet starts to create its own "ideal" being...

Boundless Reading Headset, by Shiu Wen Wei (translated by Vadim Rubin). This was the one that used ChatGPT. I enjoyed it. It shows the struggle of textbooks in a world trying to use AI.

From Contactless Intimacy, by Hsin-Hui Lin (translated by Darryl Sterk): This reminded me of living in the Matrix, except the Matrix world they created is a lot nicer and peaceful.

Essay: How to take care of your Vagina, by Yen na (translated by Min-chia Wu). I'm not sure I got this one.


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Review: The Piano Tuner

The Piano Tuner by Chiang-Sheng Kuo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As some other reviewers mentioned, this novel didn't quite work for me. The non-linear format and the over-dependence on what music means was a bit too much for me. I enjoy classical and piano music, but probably not enough for this novel. Too bad. I really wanted to enjoy it.




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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─譯之華》 N. 207

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─譯之華》 N. 207 by Various
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another good collection of poems and essays. I'm not sure why they changed the name of the journal to "Florescence". 

"National Language - The Voice of the Other" by Sen Kim Soon was my favorite.  

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Review: Puppet Flower: A Novel of 1867 Formosa

Puppet Flower: A Novel of 1867 Formosa by Yao-Chang Chen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you've been in Taiwan long enough, you will hear about the Rover incident. Unfortunately, it, like much of Taiwanese history, isn't studied or known very well by Taiwanese (who grew up learning more about Chinese history than Taiwanese), so it is difficult to get a feel for what happened exactly. 

This book did exactly that. Many familiar names (Pickering, LeGendre and Tauketok, among others) and many new names. I guess I only wish it specified who was a real historical figure and who wasn't. Were they all real? If so, I wish it talked more about Butterfly and her family and their fate. 

The story itself was great, although I can't say I liked the ending as much. I see how it was trying to tie several things together, but it seemed to rush a lot of history and make it fit an odd narrative. 

Anyway, that is sort of nitpicking. All in all it was a great book. 

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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 Winter/2022 - No. 203

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 Winter/2022 - No. 203 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once again, this edition of the Chinese Taipei Pen is an interesting collection of Taiwanese poetry, short stories and artists.

"Preface to Temperature from a Bachelor", by Wang Ting-chun (王鼎鈞) had some interesting insight into how/why the names of publications can change, and the overall effects. 

"Tea from Hong Kong", by Hung Ai-zhu, was a sort of memoir. It felt like an outsider's glimpse into the memories and childhood of a Taiwanese girl running a tea shop with ties to Hong Kong. It was excellent. She has a collection of essays out, which I'd be interested in reading. 

Living Apart, by Chen Shu-Yao, seemed to jump around between characters and was very hard to follow for not much reward. It's too bad because I thinks he's the only author I know from Penghu.

The Fates, by Claire Pei, was an interesting, if troublesome, story about a Chinese in Alaska, why she was there and her situation while living there, as well as why she doesn't want to leave. This was my favorite short story of the book. The story also has an interesting addendum, although I admit I felt like she added it so the story would seem less autobiographical(?)

This edition's featured artist was Sun Ta-chuan (Paelabang Danapan) and indigenous writer of Chinese calligraphy and sayings, as well as a sketch artist.

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Review: The Membranes

The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this is the first piece of Taiwanese queer literature I've read, which seems odd since I try to read any Taiwanese book I can get my hands on, and I'm sure there's plenty of it. 

Regardless, this is intense Scifi from the mid-nineties and, although it has a slow start, once it gets going it's quite original, especially considering this was pre-AI, pre Matrix and pretty much pre-internet. 

As someone who barely reads any queer literature and generally doesn't enjoy Scifi, I did enjoy this. Although I think I've had enough scifi for now. 

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Review: Taiwan Literature English Translation Series - Special Issues on New Generation Fiction Writers of Taiwan

Taiwan Literature English Translation Series - Special Issues on New Generation Fiction Writers of Taiwan by Kuo-ching Tu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A decent collection of stories, although I can't say it was my favorite.

I thought the best ones were:
Tiger God, by Wu Ming-yi
Mystery Train, by Kan Yao-ming (I couldn't find his name in Chinese characters. I'd love to read more by this author)
Low Season, by Wang Tsung-wei

Hiding, by Hsu Jung-che was a bit disturbing, as was Hua-Jia, by Yang Fu-min. And I didn't really get "My Late Grandpa", by Tong Wei-ger.

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Review: Taiwan Literature English Translation Series - Special Retrospective on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary

Taiwan Literature English Translation Series - Special Retrospective on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary by Kuo-ching Tu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an excellent edition, giving a broad overview and history of TLETS in general, and of several of its main proponents and contributors as well. I learned quite a bit about how/why it was set up, as well as the main differences between TLETS and the Taipei Chinese Pen. This actually made me want to search for past editions of TLETS and read up about them. 

Some great essays (and a couple ok ones). Also a collection of KC Tu's poetry dealing with various places in Taiwan. 

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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 2021 - No. 198

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 2021 - No. 198 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great edition. I especially enjoyed Diana and Persia by Lee Wei-jing （李維菁）, and found the paintings by Tsai Yuo （蔡友）to be excellent. 

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Review: My Enemy's Cherry Tree

My Enemy's Cherry Tree by Ting-Kuo Wang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An interesting, melancholic book, discussing loss, love, betrayal, poverty, etc. These are probably the reasons why it reminded me somewhat of contemporary Korean fiction. 

Regardless, the story was excellent, although the parts about Baixiu were probably over my head. I read the author took a 25-year hiatus from writing because of his father-in-law. I look forward to more books by him. 

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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 Autumn/2019 - No.190

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 Autumn/2019 - No.190 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another interesting collection. 

My favorite stories:

Landing Pad, by Ruei Chung (Zhong Minrui on Goodreads)

Portrait of a Son, by Inca Pan (who apparently published under the penname Chuan Bei Mu／川貝母). This started off seeming a tad obvious but became progressively eerie

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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 夏季號/2021 - No. 197

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 夏季號/2021 - No. 197 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another interesting issue, with poetry, short stories, and a feature of Paul Chiang, an artist in Taidong. 

My favorite short stories:

Wandering among small mountains, by Ko Yu-fen

Marriage Proposal, by Chung Ling (Hundred-Dollar Bills wasn't bad either, by the same author)

The Forbidden, by Chang Yuan

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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 夏季號/2021 - No. 196

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 夏季號/2021 - No. 196 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great collection of poetry and short stories, also featuring some Czech poetry. 

Out of the 2 short stories my favorite was probably "Lucy's notes of a Guest House" by Tsai Su-fen (蔡素芬), although it seems that the other author ，王定國， is the famous one.

It also had a great feature on Sculpture in Taiwan, discussing Pu Tian-Sheng and Huang Tu-Shui, all of which was new to me. 

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Review: Notes of a Crocodile

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't say I liked this as much as "Last words from Montmartre", but that may just depend on which book I read first. 

I did like that Last Words from Montmartre was non-fiction, although this book itself read much too much like non-fiction, so I'm sure it's full of her experiences. 

Much like the other book, however, this was very intense, and can't help but make me feel that Qiu Maojin, aside from being gay during the 80s in Taiwan, also had to contend with the fact that she was too smart and too passionate to let anything go by without overly intense scrutiny and commitment. 

If you cannot get your hands on Last Words from Montmartre, this is probably a must-read. 

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Review: Last Words from Montmartre

Last Words from Montmartre by Qiu Miaojin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book without a plot, which I tend to dislike out of hand. It is also one filled with intense feeling and emotions, which I usually avoid. However, for some reason, it was fascinating and kept me enthralled throughout. I am sure this is also because of the background. Knowing the author killed herself around a week after having written these letters, the book itself becomes haunting.

This book is probably what "The Sorrows of Young Werther" had set out to be, but it was more successful, at least in my opinion. I really felt like I was in the author's head, seeing her thoughts as they occurred. She seems to be a 26-year-old who was too smart, too passionate and too intense for her world.


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Review: Taiwan Literature: Special Issue on Kuo-Ch'ing Tu

Taiwan Literature: Special Issue on Kuo-Ch'ing Tu by Kuo-Ch'ing Tu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Thus, long ago, I offered my heart to the goddess of poetry as an altar for her to trample it as she wished". Tu Kuo-ching is obviously a very serious poet. Unfortunately, every time I read poetry I feel like I'm probably just not deep enough of a person. I try, but most of it is just over my head.

It doesn't help that I'm sure there are a couple typos (i.e. corps instead of corpse).

I confess I only skimmed two of the final three essays, written by others as commentary on Tu's work. The second one (the one I read) discussed how his international background shaped his point of view. It is more specific than that, but that's the point I found interesting (the 'compound eyes' view he has).


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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 夏季號/2019 - No. 189

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 夏季號/2019 - No. 189 by Yanwing Leung
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great collection of poetry and short stories, as well as a feature on Li Chi Mao, a Taiwanese artist, with some very versatile artworks encompassing different styles and subjects. I really enjoy these.

My favorite short story was Burning Lovers, by Marula Liu

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Review: A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers

A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers by Li-Hung Hsiao
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was exactly the book I was looking for in terms of a novel that goes through Taiwanese customs and traditions.
Plus, the family bears an uncanny resemblance to my wife's family.
Plus, the title, and the meaning behind it, is really nice.
Plus, the story itself is actually quite pleasant. Despite it being a tad unconventional and not really having a plot per se, it seemed much more true to real life, where there is no real beginning-arc-end.

For these reasons I give this five stars, and hope to read more by the same author soon.

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