The English translation of “Banana King Ngôo Tsín-suī,” a historical novel written by Lee Wang-tai and translated by Timothy Smith, took the bronze prize in the category of historical fiction at the Foreword Indies Awards 2024.
Over 2,400 works in 55 categories were submitted to the U.S.-based magazine for review, according to the Cabinet-level Hakka Affairs Council. The winner from Taiwan is a translation of Hakka literature supported by the HAC, and the council’s minister, Ku Hsiu-fei, conveyed her appreciation to Lee and Smith for enhancing the global visibility of Hakka culture.
Lee said that the HAC’s Hakka literary translation program is a great boon to writers, adding that without the policy, his book might not have had the chance to reach a global audience.
The council said the novel focused on the story of Ngôo Tsín-suī, a real historical figure who built a profitable banana business from nothing. The HAC added that the narrative reflected developments in Taiwan’s rural society, and complimented Smith’s translation for presenting the text in a readable, modern style even as it retained the feel of the original work.
According to the HAC, since the launch of the Hakka Literature Translation & Overseas Promotion project in 2018, nine Taiwan authors and 16 works have been translated into languages such as Czech, English, Japanese and Spanish. (POC-E)
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