Indian author Shubhangi Swarup will be visiting Taiwan for the first time, participating in author talks with Taiwanese writers Hsieh Wang-ling (謝旺霖) and Wu Ming-yi (吳明益) on June 3 and June 7, respectively.
Since the release of her novel “Latitudes of Longing,” Swarup has risen to global prominence and became the first Indian author to receive the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature in France. Translated into 17 languages to date, the novel has been hailed as one of India’s most significant literary works in the past decade.
The Mandarin edition of “Latitudes of Longing” was awarded Taiwan’s Openbook Best Books in Translation in 2024. Swarup shared that during the seven years spent writing the book, she read a wide range of translated literature, including Wu Ming-yi’s acclaimed work, “The Man with the Compound Eyes (複眼人),” which inspired her and deepened her appreciation of Taiwanese literature.
Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳), Director of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL), emphasized that this international exchange aims to offer new perspectives to Taiwanese readers and foster cultural dialogue between Taiwan and India.
The June 3 event in Tainan will feature Hsieh Wang-ling’s “Walking the River (走河),” a book chronicling his travels in India and the spiritual transformation he experienced along the way.
The June 7 session in Taipei will focus on themes that both Swarup and Wu Ming-yi are deeply engaged with, including narrative technique, storytelling, and the relationship between humans and nature.
For more information, visit the NMTL event platform.
