45. Science Fiction & Queer Literature: Chi Ta-wei (“The Membranes”)

The Taiwan Take

Taiwanese writer Chi Ta-wei (紀大偉)'s 1996 novel “The Membranes” has seen global success in recent years, with translations in French, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Spanish, Danish, and forthcoming editions in Portuguese, Greek, and Vietnamese.

“The Membranes” is a dystopian fiction set in the 22nd century. Climate change has devastated Earth, and humans now live at the bottom of the sea. The protagonist is a dermatologist named Momo who can read her clients’ memories through their skins.

Chi Ta-wei is an important voice in Taiwanese queer literature.

We talk about the year 1994 - the era of Pulp Fiction, Nine Inch Nails, and Nirvana. In Taipei, a bookstore called FemBooks (女書店) was opened. Artists and students wanting international cinema flocked to the Golden Horse Film Festival.

One of Ta-wei’s contemporaries is the late author Qiu Miaojin (邱妙津). Ta-wei talks about why he and Qiu shared a fondness for Europe. We also talk about the Australian writer and translator Ari Heinrich who worked on English translations for both Chi Ta-wei and Qiu Miaojin.

Chi Ta-Wei also talks about his appreciation for translators, and advice for writers, editors, and publishers who are working on bringing Taiwanese books to the world.

For French listeners, here’s our Interview with theater director Cédric Delorme-Bouchard on the stage adaptation that premiered in Montreal 2024: https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/france-taiwan/membrane-cedric-delorme-bouchard

More on Chi Ta-wei: www.taweichi.com/

Links to the novel “The Membranes”:

(In English) “The Membranes” translated by Ari Heinrich (University of Columbia Press, 2021) - https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-membranes/9780231195713

(En français) “Membrane” traduit par Gwennaël Gaffric (L'Asiathèque. 2020)
https://www.asiatheque.com/fr/livre/membrane

《膜》繁體中文版 (聯經出版, 1996) https://www.linkingbooks.com.tw/LNB/book/Book.aspx?ID=184182&vs=pc

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EPISODE CREDIT

Host / Emily Y. Wu @emilyywu
Editing / Zack Chiang, Wayne Tsai
Researcher / Skylar Nguyen
A Ghost Island Media production / @ghostislandme

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