Taiwanese writer-press conference

▲ Yang Shuang-zi, the 2026 winner of the prestigious International Booker Prize, speaks in a press conference in Seoul on June 1, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ Yang Shuang-zi, the 2026 winner of the prestigious International Booker Prize, poses with the Korean version of her novel "Taiwan Travelogue" during a press conference in Seoul on June 1, 2026. (Yonhap)

Taiwanese writer-press conference

Booker Prize winner Yang says hopes literature will serve as lasting force in changing society

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, June 1 (Yonhap) -- Yang Shuang-zi, the 2026 winner of the prestigious International Booker Prize, said Monday she hopes literature will serve as a powerful and lasting tool for a changing society by carrying messages to future generations.

Yang made the remarks at a press conference in Seoul, following her recent win for her historical novel "Taiwan Travelogue," which explores themes of love, food, colonialism and identity through the relationship between a Japanese novelist and her Taiwanese interpreter.

Yang and her translator, Lin King, are the first pair to win the prestigious prize for an East Asian novel since South Korean author Han Kang and translator Deborah Smith won the prize for Han's critically acclaimed work "The Vegetarian" in 2016.

"The power of literature is not swift. It does not work in the way an ill person recovers from a disease by taking medication or undergoing surgery," the Taiwanese writer said at the press conference.

"But through literature, we extend our conversations until we manage to find common ground. Although that conversation may take a long time, perhaps a longer time than a person's entire life, that is what we have to do," she said.

Yang, who identified herself as a social activist, acknowledged she sometimes feels "impatient" about the limited time she has to change the world.

"But we all know that society does not change at once. So what I hope is that literature will extend its lifespan, one that is longer than each of our individual lives, allowing the next generation to take over," she said.

As a writer whose themes deeply intertwine history and women's lives, Yang said another goal for herself, as a writer, is to record the history of women's unwritten dreams.

"When I was young, it was difficult to find stories with women as main characters or those depicting their career growth. As an adult, I wanted to tell these kinds of stories to younger women," she said. "I want to write about things that are not written down in history through literature."

Yang, who recently met with readers in South Korea, said she found it intriguing that readers here seemed to empathize with the Taiwanese translator's point of view, rather than the main character's point of view, perhaps due to South Korea and Taiwan's shared history of Japanese colonial rule.

Noting that many Taiwanese literary works have been translated into Korean, Yang said such works can serve as a window for South Koreans to learn about the diverse facets of Taiwan.

Yang, who has been busy since her Booker Prize win, said her goal is to finish two books by 2029, including one set in the present day she aims to complete within this year.

"After that, I want pour all my heart and energy into my third history novel ... one that centers on women and their jobs. A lot of research is needed on women and their jobs from 100 years ago, so I plan to concentrate all my energy on it," she said.

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