Wu Chuo-liu (1900–1976) was an influential Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

ese journalist and novelist. His experiences during the colonial period

Taiwan under Japanese rule

Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....

, including fifteen months (January 1941-March 1942) spent on the mainland, served as an inspiration for his most famous work, Orphan of Asia, a semi-autobiographical account of the experiences of a fictional protagonist—Hu Taiming—during the course of the colonial period. This work, which highlighted the ambiguity and tension inherent in being Taiwanese, has since become a key text in the contentious subject of Taiwanese identity.

Selected works in English

Orphan of Asia, trans. Ioannis Mentzas. ISBN 0-231-13727-3

The Fig Tree: Memoirs of a Taiwanese Patriot, trans. Duncan Hunter. ISBN 1-403-33554-0