The demise of the book and literary culture generally has been often and widely rumored, but has proven to be either greatly exaggerated or simply false. The belief that literary culture continues to exercise considerable appeal, and is still alive and kicking, is at the very heart of the establishment of the Kishu An Forest of Literature (紀州庵文學森林) off Tongan Street (同安街) in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District (中正區).
Kishu An Forest of Literature is located on a site of what was once a refined Japanese restaurant from the colonial era. The complex was subsequently turned into dormitories, which were abandoned after being partially destroyed by fire. It is now in the process of being refurbished and revitalized. The site, which includes a recently built three-story museum and the ruin of a wooden Japanese-style building, has been transferred to the management of the Taiwan Literature Development Foundation (台灣文學發展基金), which is best known as the publisher of the influential high-brow literary journal Wenhsun (文訊). The aim is to draw on the area’s strong ties to literature and publishing to build Kishu An up into a center where people can come to enjoy and learn about good books, meet and talk with authors, and learn about the role books have played in the development of the local community.
“This area has a long standing association with literature and publishing,” said Cecilia Chen (陳慧宜), operational manager for the new facility. The area, roughly encompassed by Shida Road (師大路), Heping West Road (和平西路) and the Sindian River (新店溪), is generally regarded as having a high proportion of intellectuals due to its proximity to both the National Taiwan Normal University (師大) and National Taiwan University (台大), and has been home to many literary associations and publishing houses over the years.
Photo Courtesy of the Taiwan Literature Development Foundation
“After Kishu An was converted into dormitories in the 1950s, a number of important authors were residents here at one time or another,” Chen said. She said that both Wang Wen-hsing (王文興), the doyen of Taiwan’s contemporary literary scene, and poet and scholar Yu Kuang-chung (余光中) both passed through Kishu An. “We want to draw on these associations to build up a center where people can come and enjoy books and writing,” Chen added.
Although Kishu An will not officially open until Dec. 24, it has already launched its first major activity, titled Confessions About Taipei (台北的告白), for which 10 authors have been invited to select 10 books each about specific aspects of life in Taipei, and to give a talk about their choices. The 100 books they have selected are on sale at Kishu An. On Friday, Chuang Yung-ming (莊永明), the hugely prolific author on Taiwanese history and culture, and Lin Wen-yi (林文義), an influential critic and novelist, will engage in a discussion titled Taipei, Literature and Life Experience (台北,文學,身世), while on Saturday essayist, photographer and environmentalist Liu Ke-hsiang (劉克襄) will give his thoughts of the nexus between Taipei, literature and the environment. Over the following weeks, there will be discussions or talks on the subjects of sexuality, architecture and activism.
“We want to reinforce the idea that literature is not some isolated ivory tower,” Chen said. “It is something that links up with all aspects of our daily lives.” For this reason, she also hopes that the community will take an active part in building up this literary center. Weekend second-hand book sales, which rely heavily on local contributions, have proven a great success, and Chen hopes that permission will be granted for a concrete wall on a neighboring residential building to be painted with a mural with both local and literary associations. The literary center opens onto a small local park, and Chen said that they are making occasional use of the space, but that technically the park, which adds invaluably to the relaxed community ambiance of Kishu An, is under separate bureaucratic jurisdiction. “We hope that the park and this place can come under unified management so that we can make the most of this space,” Chen said. She added that the Taiwan Literature Development Foundation will bid for the contract to restore and manage the burned-out Japanese-style wooden building.
Photo Courtesy of the Taiwan Literature Development Foundation
At the moment, all the foundation has actual rights over is a modern three-story building built to complement the proportions of the ruined Japanese structure. In addition to small exhibition spaces on the first and second floors there is a traditional Chinese-style lecture theater that is ideal for more formal presentations. On the first floor there is a cafe and kitchen, which currently specializes in Asian-inspired healthy dining and offers an extensive tea menu promoting high quality Taiwan teas.
Chen said she hoped that the restaurant facilities will be put to use as a venue for activities for which well-known authors will be brought in to prepare and talk about their favorite dishes. Other planned events include literary talks and demonstrations and workshops with topics as diverse as bookbinding, calligraphy, and book collecting.
A monthly lecture followed by question-and-answer sessions by the likes of Kenneth Pai (白先勇), Li Ang (李昂) and Huang Chun-ming (黃春明) is already planned for next year.
Photo Courtesy of the Taiwan Literature Development Foundation
Just outside the restaurant is an outside dining area which can be easily converted into a stage for performances. “We will use this for activities in which we can show that literature is intimately connected to all kinds of other arts, including music, dance, drama and much more,” Chen said.
“An important aim of all our activities is to make a link between books, writers and the appreciation of all aspects of daily life,” Chen added.
More information about the activities at Kishu An Forest of Literature can be found at www.kishuan.org.tw. The center is located at 107 Tongan St, Taipei City (台北市同安街107號).
Photo Courtesy of the Taiwan Literature Development Foundation
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