Taiwanese writer Wu Ming-Yi (吳明益), whose book The Stolen Bicycle (單車失竊記) has been nominated for an international literary award, on Thursday said that he objected to being listed as a national of “Taiwan, China” on the Man Booker prize’s Web site.
“Since the publication of the longlist for this year’s Man Booker International Prize, my nationality on the Web page has been changed from Taiwan to ‘Taiwan, China,’ which is not my personal position on this issue,” Wu wrote on Facebook.
Wu said he would be seeking assistance to express “my personal position to the award organization.”
His views were supported by his friends and fans online, as well as his editor, Lin Hsiu-mei (林秀梅), at Rye Field Publishing Co, which published the original Chinese-language version of The Stolen Bicycle.
On March 12, Wu wrote on Facebook that he was honored to be included on the longlist for the Man Booker International Prize and was particularly pleased to be listed as a national of “Taiwan.”
However, the designation was later changed on the Web site to “Taiwan, China.”
The Man Booker prize organizers were advised that “Taiwan, China” was the “correct, politically neutral form,” they said, adding that they were seeking clarification from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
“We are aware that Wu Ming-yi defines himself as Taiwanese and have kept him informed throughout the process,” they said in a statement yesterday.
The Stolen Bicycle is about a writer who embarks on a search for his missing father’s stolen bicycle.
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