The Taipei International Book Exhibition next week is to feature acclaimed children’s book authors from various countries, as well as renowned Taiwanese illustrator Jimmy (幾米) and comic artist Ruan Guang-min (阮光民), the organizer announced yesterday.
The organizer, the Taipei Book Fair Foundation, arranged a number of “stargaze” themes featuring domestic and foreign star creators for this year’s event, which is to take place from Tuesday to Sunday next week.
The delegation from the Netherlands — the guest of honor — is to include the first Dutch author to win the Hugo Award for Best Novelette Thomas Olde Heuvelt, author of the bestselling novel Grand Hotel Europa Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, contemporary thinker Maxim Februari, “Dutch literary talent of 2019” Radna Fabias and more, the foundation said.
Photo: CNA
Other international authors participating include Alexander Pantsov from Russia, a history professor specializing in modern Chinese history; Cheon Seon-ran from South Korea, a rising star in science fiction; Gou Tanabe from Japan, a manga artist known for his adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft’s works; Bijan Moini from Germany, a human rights expert, lawyer and writer; and hairdresser and writer Danny Beuerbach, also from Germany, it said.
With a star-studded list of children’s book authors and graphic book creators, the event is not only for literary lovers, but also children, and is family-friendly, it said.
Japanese masters Gomi Taro, Miyanishi Tatsuya and Noritake Suzuki; South Korean illustrator Suzy Lee; and Canadian illustrator Sydney Smith are to share their works at the event, while Polish picture book authors Iwona Chmielewska is to hold a painting workshop for children on Sunday, it said.
Famous Taiwanese creators participating include Jimmy, Sean Chuang (小莊), Ruan, Chang Sheng (常勝) and Hambuck (漢寶包), it said, adding that Jimmy is to hold a recital and book signing activity on Saturday.
The event also features many big names in Taiwan’s literary world — Wu Ming-yi (吳明益), Pai Hsien-yung (白先勇), Lung Ying-tai (龍應台), Huang Chun-ming (黃春明), Chu Tien-hsin (朱天心), Chen Bo-ching (陳?青), Ma Hsin (馬欣), Gan Yao-ming (甘耀明) and Sabrina Huang (黃麗群), it said.
Influencers have enjoyed enormous popularity at the book exhibition in recent years, it said.
YouTuber “Retina” (視網膜) is to join in a dialogue with Tokyo-born travel writer Kengo Kobayashi on the latter’s new work and the cultures of Taiwan and Japan on Saturday, and graphic creator and YouTuber “weiteng” (微疼) is to hold a fan meeting on Sunday, it said.
The organizer also invited celebrities who crossed over into the literary world to share their unique experiences.
Peng “Chia Chia” Cheng-min (彭政閔), former star player of the professional baseball team the Brother Elephants, is to talk about a comic based on his life story on Friday and Pegatron Corp chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) is to share his memories of Taiwanese poet Yang Mu (楊牧) on Wednesday, it said.
Nobel laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) is to talk about his newly published autobiography on Sunday and master lyricist Lin Xi (林夕) is to share his philosophy on life on Saturday, it added.
Several mystery, detective and fantasy authors are to take part in the event, including Hu Hsuan (護玄) and Ji Qing (既晴) from Taiwan as well as Chen Hao-ji (陳浩基) and Albert Tam (譚劍) from Hong Kong, it said.
The schedule of all the activities and the guests is on the event’s Web site at www.tibe.org.tw.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition