A four-way discussion on Taiwanese literature
To mark the 23rd edition of the MEETING International Literary Festival, the Chair in Taiwanese Studies at INALCO, in collaboration with the Maison des Écrivains Étrangers et des Traducteurs (MEET), is delighted to invite you to a special event featuring four leading figures of contemporary Taiwanese literature: Li Ang (李昂), Wu Ming-Yi (吳明益), Huang Chong-Kai (黃崇凱) and Liao Yun-jie (廖芸婕). On 18 November 2026, these four authors will gather in Paris to share their writing experiences and their unique perspectives on Taiwan, its cities, its languages and its transformations.
The urban phrase: when the city enters literature, a city is never silent. It speaks through its streets, its markets, its inhabitants, its languages and its memories. In the urban space, words circulate, meet, blend and transform. But how does this ceaseless movement influence the language of writers?
This question forms the basis of the theme for the 2026 edition of the MEETING festival: The Urban Phrase, inspired by Jean-Christophe Bailly’s book of the same name.
Does the city shape the way we write? How do languages coexisting in the same space, popular expressions, linguistic borrowings and social transformations nourish the literary imagination? Should literature capture the changing voices of its era, or seek to create a language capable of enduring through the centuries? These questions strike a particular chord in Taiwan, a society marked by a complex history, remarkable linguistic diversity and profound urban transformations.
Four writers, four ways of telling Taiwan’s story
Their works, which differ in terms of their generations, sensibilities and aesthetic approaches, offer a wealth of pathways to discovering the many faces of Taiwanese literature.
From Paris to Saint-Nazaire: Taiwan at the heart of international literary dialogue
This Parisian event will kick off a series of exchanges set to continue from 19 to 22 November 2026 in Saint-Nazaire, as part of the MEETING festival, where Taiwanese writers will engage in dialogue with authors from a variety of backgrounds.
More than just a showcase of Taiwanese literature, this evening will be an invitation to reflect together on how cities, languages and human experiences shape our stories. How does one write a city? How does a city write itself within us? And what can Taiwanese literature teach us about the transformations of our contemporary world?
Come and discover four unique voices from Taiwan and share a special moment of literary dialogue in Paris!
