Donations from a selfless farmer helped Taiwanese novelist Chung Wen-yin publish an English translation of her novel, “Woman Islands.”
First released in Chinese in 1988, the work has long been praised by critics for its accurate and insightful descriptions of a woman’s spiritual journey.
After reading the work, translator C.J. Wu was so touched she asked Chung about the possibility of translating it into English.
Chung readily agreed—but translation and publishing fees could not be found. At this point Zhong Chuan-shang, an elderly farmer from Chung’s home village in Yunlin County, generously offered to help.
He sold 500 hectares of rice to come up with the funds.
“It was hard for me to accept the money from Zhong, whose income comes from working hard in the fields,” Chung said. “But he said to me, ‘Food is for the belly, reading is for the soul. A good book can touch millions of lives.’”
In Wu’s meticulous rendition, the English version retains the stream-of-consciousness narrative that made the Chinese so special.
Chung said she is happy with the faithful translation and praised Wu for paying close attention to the double entendres that occur frequently in the original.
The book includes an introduction by Lawrence McCaffery, a retired professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University.
Chung added that in the future she intends to write a screenplay about her home village and hopes it can be made into a television series highlighting the beauty of country life.
The translated book is not available in bookstores and can only be purchased online at Amazon, Chung said.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times April 19.)