內容簡介
Lee Chiao’s epic Wintry Night Trilogy, comprising Wintry Night, Deserted Village, and Lone Lamp, is widely revered as a classic of Taiwan literature. Together, the books tell of the vicissitudes endured by three successive generations of Hakka farmers. Opening in the late Qing dynasty and concluding soon after the end of the Japanese occupation, the trilogy follows the Pengs and the Lius as they establish a legacy befitting the turbulence of modern Taiwan. This, Lee’s most celebrated work, is a poignant reflection on love, resilience, and the steadfast spirit of a colonized people.
Book one, Wintry Night, describes Taiwan at the onset of Japanese colonial rule, as the Peng family journeys into Miaoli’s forests to begin a new life.
Book two, Deserted Village, focuses on various members of the Liu family as they struggle against unjust laws and economic exploitation during the height of the Japanese occupation.
Book three, Lone Lamp, reveals the extreme poverty of Taiwan’s post-liberation mountain villages and brings to life the tragic experience of being sent to die in a faraway war.
In this newly translated edition, the first book to be published will be Deserted Village.
目錄介紹
Introduction by John Balcom
Prologue: Strange Fish
1. Hidden Troubles
2. Night’s Bitter Dreams
3. Boundless Land
4. Dark Skies
5. A World of Wrongs
6. Silent Mountains
7. The Deserted Village
作者介紹
Authors:
Lee Chiao (b. 1934), a prominent writer of Hakka descent, is the author of sixteen collections of short stories, eleven full-length novels, and seven treatises. In addition to dozens of prestigious awards—including the Taiwan Literature Award and the National Award for Arts—he is the recipient of an honorary doctorate in Taiwan literature from the Taiwan Culture Academy.
His meticulously crafted Wintry Night Trilogy, written between 1975 and 1980, immerses readers in Taiwan’s complex past through a profound and empathetic portrayal of the island’s Hakka settlers. In an incomparable odyssey of nearly one million Chinese characters, Lee Chiao creates an entire universe suffused with resistance, devotion, and unbreakable identity.
Translator’s bio:
Jim Weldon, a first-class honors graduate from the University of London‘s School of Oriental and African Studies, specializes in translating modern Chinese literature, including poetry. With a background in Tibetan studies, he has translated numerous short stories and novels. Jim contributes to Taiwan‘s cultural scene through the Books from Taiwan program and received national acclaim for his translation of a Tibetan-Chinese short story.
