Soar through 2026 with NMTL's Calendar: Wings of the Literary Mind 
For 2026, the NMTL calendar will feature Wings of the Literary Mind, an original picture book-style story by illustrator Wang Chuentz (王春子) and emerging writer Wang Xi-Lun (王席綸). The story follows a swallow wearing a gentleman's hat as it flies across the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, Taiwan Literature Base, and Taiwan Literature Hub in search of materials to build its nest. As readers follow the swallow's journey throughout the year, they weave between the calendar's words and illustrations, encountering literary landscapes and reflecting on the histories surrounding these architectural spaces. Each encounter adds to the swallow's nest, and a feeling of home gradually takes shape alongside hopes for the future. In 2026, let literature accompany you as a new year takes flight! (written by Chen Chia-Lin)
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| Love Loves to Love Ireland: Extremely Distant and Incredibly Close Special Exhibition 
Running from December 19 to March 8, this special exhibition explores how Irish poetry and fiction has shaped the nation's cultural soul through its responses to colonial history. From W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, and George Bernard Shaw to Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney, Irish writers helped spark a cultural revival, making literature a vital force in the pursuit of independence and identity. Rare manuscripts and cultural artifacts trace Ireland's journey from oppression to awakening, while also reflecting on how Taiwan literature seeks its own cultural subjectivity through historical memory and language. (written by Wang Chia-Ling)
Exhibition dates: December 19, 2025 - March 8, 2026
Location: Exhibition Room D, NMTL
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| Where Travel Meets Reading: NMTL at TiBE 2026 
At the 34th Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE), NMTL will host a travel literature-themed pavilion in the Exhibition's "Literature" section. Inspired by today's widespread enthusiasm for travel, the pavilion will introduce contemporary travel writing through themed displays, publications, and rare periodical materials, offering TiBE audiences fresh perspectives on the significance of modern-day travel narratives. NMTL hopes that the pavilion will spark dialogue between travel, everyday life, and reading, creating a literary space within the book fair that balances movement and stillness. (written by Chien Hung-Yi)
Exhibition dates: February 3 - 8
Venue: Hall 1, Taipei World Trade Center (No. 5, Sec. 5, Xinyi Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei) | | More information |
| New Horizons in Literature: A Conversation with Writers and Translators 
During the 2026 Taipei International Book Exhibition, NMTL will host a panel discussion on literature and translation. The event will feature Taiwanese poet Chen Yu-Hung (陳育虹), Irish poet John McAuliffe, American poet George O'Connell, and translator Diana Shi, and will be moderated by translator Hsu Sheng-Chi (許勝吉). The speakers will share their experiences of having works translated in different countries, as well as practical insights into literary translation from the translator's perspective. The panel discussion does not require registration, and everyone is welcome to join on-site. (written by Sam Chee-Chiun)
Event date: February 5, 11:45-12:45
Venue: Red Salon, Hall 1, Taipei World Trade Center |
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| Villa Formose Artist Residency Events with Rebecca Vaissermann Planned for February 
Villa Formose is a collaborative project between NMTL and Le Centre de coopération et d'action culturelle du Bureau français de Taipei (the Cooperation and Cultural Action Center of the French Office in Taipei) where one artist is invited each year to undertake a residency in Taiwan. The selected resident for Villa Formose 2026, French writer and actress Rebecca Vaissermann, will begin her residency at the Taiwan Literature Base this February. During her stay, four reader-focused exchange events are planned, centering on themes such as memory transmission and resistance to exploitation. Among them, the February 6 session at the Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE) will feature a conversation with former TLB writer-in-residence and current founder of Théâtre d'Ombre et de Bois Tsai Ming-Hsuan (蔡明璇). We warmly invite you to join us at these events! (written by Peng Chien-Sen)
Event Schedule
Feb. 1, 14:00 - 16:00｜Creative Workshop, Taiwan Literature Base
Feb. 6, 18:00 - 19:00｜International Salon, Hall 1, Taipei World Trade Center
Feb. 22, 14:00 - 16:00｜Joy of Reading Hall, Taiwan Literature Base
Feb. 25, 19:30 - 21:30｜Librairie Le Pigeonnier Bookstore (No. 9, Ln. 97, Songjiang Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei)
| | Register here |
| 2025 Taiwan Literature Awards: Golden Book Award Winners on a Nationwide Tour 
The award ceremony for the Taiwan Literature Awards 2025 has successfully concluded. A total of 225 works were submitted this year, with Lin Chun-Ying's (林俊頴) Lightning in July receiving the TLA Annual Golden Grand Laurel Award. Seven other works were honored with the TLA Golden Book Award, and two received the TLA New Bud Award. The award-winning authors will embark on a lecture tour which will last until January 24, 2026, visiting cultural venues and campuses across Taiwan. Several authors will also return to their hometowns to share their creative journeys and achievements. All are welcome to attend these events. (written by Chao Ching-Hwa)
| TLA Official Website
| | Register here |
| LiFT Series Launch: NMTL and Columbia University Press Events in London and New York 
With the support of National Taiwan Normal University, the National Museum of Taiwan Literature partnered with Columbia University Press to publish three new English-language titles in the LiFT Series in 2025: A Taiwanese Ecoliterature Reader, Eyes of the Ocean, and Portraits in White. Centered on ecology, human rights, and historical memory, these works highlight how Taiwan literature engages with global issues. A series of talks and promotional events for these volumes will be held in London and New York, featuring author Kaori Lai (賴香吟) in conversation with editors and translators, fostering cross-cultural exchange between Taiwan literature and international readers. On January 12, The Global Taiwan: Literature and Translation Workshop will take place at SOAS University of London. Further book events will follow on February 10 and 11 at the New York Public Library and Columbia University. All who are interested are welcome to attend! (written by Sam Chee-Chiun)
| | More information |
| Taiwan–Korea Literary Exchange: Conversations with Writer-in-Resident Kim Yi-Sak 
In 2026, TLB will welcome Kim Yi-Sak (김이삭) to its Writer-in-Residence program. The translator of Yang Shuang Zi's (楊双子) Taiwan Travelogue, she will be the first Korean genre fiction writer and translator to take part in the residency program. During her residency, Kim will participate in a series of conversations with Taiwan Travelogue author Yang Shuang Zi, emerging Korean queer writer Seo Jang-Won (서장원), and Lâu Tsí-Û (劉芷妤), author of Goddess Buffet. There will also be dialogues with literary and theater professionals, as represented by Lee Cheng-Chun (李承寯), Artistic Director of The Double Theatre; and Lin Kuan-Ting (林冠廷), Literary Manager at the Prologue Center for New Plays. The events featuring Yang Shuang Zi and Seo Jang-Won will take place in Tainan at the NMTL as part of the New Horizons in Literature Series. Registration is now open for the events. Please join us in welcoming the new year through literary exchange! (written by Peng Chien-Sen)
Event Schedule
Jan. 3, 14:30 - 16:30｜Lecture Hall, NMTL
Jan. 10, 14:30 - 16:30｜Joy of Reading Hall, Taiwan Literature Base
Jan. 17, 14:30 - 16:30｜Joy of Reading Hall, Taiwan Literature Base
| Register here (session at NMTL)
| Register here (sessions at TLB)
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| El Intercambio de Formosa The Formosa Exchange (Spanish edition of《新寶島》)
Author: Huang Chong-kai (黃崇凱)
Translator: Mario Santander Oliván | On May 20th 2024, the day after Taiwan inaugurates its first Indigenous president, the entire population finds that they have switched places with the residents of Cuba. Upon the historical foundation of both multiethnic archipelagoes—both with long Indigenous and colonial histories, both lusted after by powerful neighbors—author Huang Chong-kai crafts a realistic fictional world fleshed out with book reviews, podcasts, interviews, and more, where he teases apart questions of race, marginality, and the retelling of history. Huang's style evokes that of Gabriel García Márquez's magical realism in a work that is both a story to be read and an event to be experienced. (written by Wang Ya-Shan)
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| | 『地下鉄駅』 Underground Station (Japanese edition of《地鐵站》)
Author: Horace Ho (何致和)
Translator: Akane Oikawa (及川茜) | A man embezzling public money, a girl suffering bullying, an aged veteran with a chronic illness, and an office worker are all brought to the same terminus, each at a different moment in time, by a leap onto the subway tracks. The protagonist, a subway station manager, scrambles to deal with these incidents, yet seems unable to address the problems in his own life: a painful divorce, a rebellious daughter, and a mother suffering from dementia. This story tackles modern social problems such as stress, long-term care, depression, and bullying, and examines how people endure them. (written by Wang Ya-Shan)
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| | Spent Bullets (English edition of《子彈是餘生》)
Author: Terao Tetsuya (寺尾哲也)
Translator: Kevin Wang (王可) | Terao Tetsuya's Spent Bullets probes the true meaning of success and existence through the life of a gifted engineer working in the Silicon Valley of Taiwan. The glamor of a prestigious degree and personal involvement in the high technology industry conceals isolation and psychological corrosion. Even as his career takes off, he plunges into despair, suggesting that even genius can ultimately be met with failure and ruin. (written by Wang Ya-Shan)
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| | Wyspa pajęczych lilii An Island Where Red Spider Lilies Bloom (Polish edition of《彼岸花盛開之島》)
Author: Li Kotomi (李琴峰)
Translator: Dariusz Latoś | On a fictional island in the sea between Taiwan and Japan, women hold the levers of power in religion, politics, and history, and even have their own language. When a girl with no memories of her past washes up on shore, she is drawn into and gradually uncovers the intricacies of this unfamiliar and enigmatic world. Drawing on history, culture, and the imagery of utopias and Shangri-la, Li Kotomi weaves a fantastical allegory through linguistic experimentation, religious mythology, and explorations of gender issues. (written by Wang Ya-Shan)
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| | Portraits in White (English edition of《白色畫像》)
Author: Kaori Lai (賴香吟)
Translator: Sylvia Li-chun Lin (林麗君), Howard Goldblatt | After the Chinese Civil War, the Kuomintang (KMT) imposed authoritarian rule on Taiwan in the name of anti-communism, ushering in a time of uncertainty and fear now known as the White Terror era, the impacts of which are still visible to this day. In Portrait in White, Kaori Lai's portrayals of daily life show how the violence of martial law infiltrated even the most ordinary moments of people's lives, wearing away at the fabric of their everyday existence. This book was published as part of the Promote Taiwan Literature to America Project by NMTL. (written by Wang Ya-Shan)
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| | Eyes of the Ocean (English edition of《大海之眼》)
Author: Syaman Rapongan (夏曼．藍波安)
Translator: Darryl Sterk | Written as an autobiography, Eyes of the Ocean tells the story of author Syaman Rapongan's life from childhood to adulthood. Rapongan experienced exploitation and discrimination as a low-wage laborer in eastern Taiwan and ultimately returned to Orchid Island (Pongso no Tao) to reconnect with the ocean and his Tao (Yami) roots. On this journey of self-discovery, the ocean becomes a force which heals trauma and restores dignity. This book was published as part of the Promote Taiwan Literature to America Project by NMTL. (written by Wang Ya-Shan)
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| | A Taiwanese Ecoliterature Reader (English edition of《臺灣生態文學選集》)
Editors: Ian Rowen , Chang Ti-Han (張迪涵), Darryl Sterk | Taiwan is an island of extraordinary diversity, both human and nonhuman, and a key crossroads in global geopolitics. This literary anthology spotlights the island's diversity by taking Taiwan as the starting point for thinking through the ecological crises of our times. The collected works feature a rich diversity of writers, both emerging and established. At times unsettling yet still edged with hope; these stories are intellectually serious yet emotionally resonant, grounded in everyday experience, yet reaching beyond the shores of the island toward the wider world. Together, they sketch a comprehensive landscape of Taiwanese ecoliterature, illuminating both the influences that have shaped it and the paths it may take in the future. (written by Wang Ya-Shan)
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