An “eco-fiction” novel published in 2011 by Taipei nature writer Wu Ming-yi (吳明益), titled The Man With the Compound Eyes (複眼人), is gaining good reviews after its English translation was published last month by a London publisher.
Wu’s story mirrors humankind’s growing concern about the fate of the Earth.
Translated by Darryl Sterk, a Canadian expatriate in Taiwan, the book is even being hailed by some as the next Life of Pi, with book reviewers in London already weighing in on it.
Writing in the Financial Times at the end of August, critic Trisha Andres gave the novel a thumbs up, but with reservations.
“[Wu’s] new novel, his first to be translated into English, explores big ecological issues — from ocean pollution and seal hunting to quarry mining and forest preservation — but he weighs down an otherwise inventive narrative with labored metaphors,” she wrote.
“Nevertheless, the depiction of [the main character’s] magical realm and his innocent wonder at this unfamiliar and murky world is imaginative and moving,” she said.
Jack Parsons, writing on the SciFiNow Web site, called the novel “beautiful, but uneven” and said it was a “perplexing postmodern fairy tale.”
“On the face of it, [the] novel is a heavy-handed metaphor for humanity’s environmental impact,” he wrote. “However, beautiful writing and the survivors’ relationships make for a more nuanced read, even if it disappears into philosophical metaphysics towards the end.”
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it