Cover Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026 (Photo: Getty Images)
Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026 (Photo: Getty Images)
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Yang Shuang-zi became the first Taiwanese author to win the International Booker Prize with the romance novel ‘Taiwan Travelogue’
History was made on May 19, 2026, when author Yang Shuang-zi was awarded the International Booker Prize for her captivating novel Taiwan Travelogue. Translated into English by Lin King, the book secures a monumental double milestone as the first work originally written in Mandarin and the first by an author from Taiwan to win the prestigious literary award.
Set in 1938 during the Japanese colonial era, the historical romance follows a young Japanese novelist exploring the island through its culinary specialties. She soon forms a deep connection with her female local translator, navigating the complex emotional and social divides between the colonised and the coloniser. Natasha Brown, chair of this year’s jury, praised the work for pulling off an incredible double feat as both an enchanting romance and an incisive post-colonial novel.
Yang’s victory marks the second consecutive year an Asian writer has claimed the prize, following Indian author Banu Mushtaq’s win for Heart Lamp last year. The historical achievement adds Yang to an elite vanguard of global Asian voices celebrated by the prize since its annual rule change in 2016, alongside South Korean author Han Kang for The Vegetarian and Indian novelist Geetanjali Shree for Tomb of Sand.
For readers discovering this phenomenal literary talent, here are five essential things to know about Yang.
What makes ‘Taiwan Travelogue’ stand out?
Above Yang Shuang-zi’s ‘Taiwan Travelogue’ (Image: courtesy of Bookazine)
Yang Shuang-zi’s ‘Taiwan Travelogue’ (Image: courtesy of Bookazine)
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The novel is brilliantly structured as a nesting doll of fictional translation. Elaborately framed as a rediscovered travel memoir complete with fictional footnotes, it purports to be a modern Mandarin translation of an autobiographical 1954 Japanese novel, which itself was based on travel columns written in 1938. When first published in 2020, the historical framing was so convincing that many readers initially mistook it for a genuine historic text.
The story behind her pen name
Above Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026, and Lin King at their award acceptance speech in London (Photo: Getty Images)
Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026, and Lin King at their award acceptance speech in London (Photo: Getty Images)
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Yang Shuang-zi is a poignant pseudonym that honours a deeply personal history. The author's real name is Yang Ruoci. She originally shared the pen name Shuang-zi—which translates to “twins” in Mandarin—with her twin sister, Yang Ruohui. Following her sister’s passing in 2015, she adopted the moniker permanently to carry on their shared literary legacy.
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A writer of various genres
Above Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026, and Lin King reacting to the announcement of their win in London (Photo: Getty Images)
Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026, and Lin King reacting to the announcement of their win in London (Photo: Getty Images)
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Yang’s creative versatility extends far beyond historical fiction. She is an active and multi-talented voice in contemporary literature, frequently writing essays, manga scripts, video game storylines and incisive literary criticism.
Already a rising star
Above Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026 (Photo: Getty Images)
Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026 (Photo: Getty Images)
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Long before her global breakout, Yang was recognised as a major literary force within the regional market. In 2020, she was featured in Wenshun magazine’s Rising Stars of the 21st Century and Unitas magazine’s Twenty Most Promising Young Novelists. Her international momentum grew significantly in 2024 when Taiwan Travelogue won the American National Book Award for Translated Literature.
Highly acclaimed in translation
Above From left: Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026, and Lin King in London (Photo: Getty Images)
From left: Yang Shuang-zi, winner of the International Booker Prize 2026, and Lin King in London (Photo: Getty Images)
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While the English edition has taken the world by storm, Yang’s prose has long captivated international audiences. The Japanese translation of Taiwan Travelogue previously won the Best Japanese Translation Award in May 2024. Furthermore, her 2020 novel exploring female companionship during the colonial era, The Story of Fantasy Flower, was translated into Japanese in 2022 after being successfully adapted into a popular manga by illustrator Monday Recover.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
