Taiwan Travelogue | 2026 International Booker Prize Winner | Yang Shuang-zi

Winner of the 2026 International Booker Prize and the 2024 US National Book Award for Translated Literature — the most celebrated debut of the year. Set in May 1938, Taiwan Travelogue follows Aoyama Chizuko, a celebrated Japanese novelist, as she arrives in colonial Taiwan on a government-sponsored writing tour. Assigned an interpreter named Chizuru, Chizuko finds herself drawn into a world of night markets, street food, hidden histories, and complex human desire. Written in exquisite, layered prose, this novel explores colonialism, language, gender, and the electric tension between two women whose relationship defies easy definition. Rich with the sights, sounds, and flavours of Japanese-colonial Taipei, Taiwan Travelogue is a feast for the senses — a novel about the stories we tell, the stories we suppress, and the extraordinary act of translation. The first Mandarin-language book and first Taiwanese author to win the International Booker Prize. Translated into English by Lin King, who won the National Book Award alongside the author. Perfect for fans of literary fiction, historical fiction, and award-winning world literature.