Taiwan literature in Japanese: Works of colonial, diasporic and contemporary writers

Chinese has been the language of power and authority in Taiwan since the 17th century except for the 50 years of the Japanese colonisation (1895-1945). During this period, Japanese was the official language and the lingua franca in Taiwan. The Japanese era was a considerably shorter period than that of Chinese influence, but it is important because Taiwan’s transition to modernity took place during this period (particularly the 1920s and 1930s) and it has significantly shaped contemporary Taiwanese society. The world of Taiwan literature has long been multilingual and these traditions continue into contemporary Japanese-language literature through the writing of a few excellent authors.