The winners of the 2024 Taiwan Literature Awards (TLA) for Books were revealed on Nov. 1. Among shortlisted 30 works, seven were selected for the Golden Book Award (金典獎) and three for the New Bud Award (蓓蕾獎), while Ping Lu (平路)’s novel “Passing (夢魂之地)” snatched the Annual Golden Grand Laurel Award.
Highly praised by the judging panel, “Passing” deals with the complicated issue of national identity in Taiwan from the perspective of the protagonist who is a psychic medium.
The seven winners of the Golden Book Award include “Mountain Mirror (山鏡)” by Chang Chih-hsin (張郅忻); “A Silent Border (噤聲之界：北臺灣客庄與原民的百年纏結和對話)“ by Liang Ting-yu (梁廷毓); “Underground Lives: Stories Untold for Migrant Workers in Taiwan (移工築起的地下社會)” by Chien Yung-ta (簡永達); “Sugar Buns Island (甜麵包島)” by Lu Ping (鹿苹); “Dark Roads (暗路) by Li Chin-lien (李金蓮); “Sin (幸運的罪)” by Yin Ni (隱匿); and “Oh, Conan (噢，柯南)” by Tang Juan (唐捐).
The New Bud Award, which was set up to encourage emerging writers, goes to Temu Suyan (黃璽) for his poetry collection “Khu Ka Qaraw Qulih (骨鯁集),” Hsu En-en (許恩恩) for her novel “The Becoming (變成的人),” and Liang Ting-yu, who is also one of the Golden Book Award recipients.
According to the jury, genre-blending creation is becoming a trend as literary boundaries have increasingly expanded. These awardees are constantly looking for more creative ways to tell stories through their works, said the jury, adding that the writers offer their illuminating insights and heartfelt exploration of innermost feelings.
The awarding ceremony for the TLA is set to take place at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei on Nov. 16, and will be livestreamed on the TLA’s official Facebook page.