World Literary Awards

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Kan Yao-ming

カン・ヤオミン

Kan Yao-ming

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1972-02-02 （Miaoli County, Taiwan）
Nationality
Taiwan
Languages
Chinese (Mandarin), Hakka

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Playwright, Teacher, Journalist
Active Years
1995-
Affiliations
Providence University (writer-in-residence)

Education

Tunghai University
Chinese Department
Country: Taiwan
Graduated from the Chinese department (undergraduate)
National Dong Hwa University
Creative Writing and English Literature (M.F.A.)
Degree: M.F.A.
Country: Taiwan
Received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and English Literature

Awards

United Daily News Literature Prize
Organization: United Daily News
Result: 受賞
Lin Rong-San Literature Prize
Organization: Lin Rong-San Literature Foundation
Result: 受賞
Wu Zhuo-liu Literature Prize
Organization: Wu Zhuo-liu Literature Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
United Daily New Novelist Prize
Organization: United Daily News
Result: 受賞
Award of Taipei International Book Fair
2010
Work: Killing Ghosts
Organization: Taipei International Book Fair Organizers
Result: 受賞
Taiwan Literary Award (First Prize)
2015
Work: The Pangcah Girl
Organization: Taiwan Literary Award Committee
Result: 受賞（第一賞）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Mysterious Train

2003 Novel

The School of Water-ghosts and the Otter Who Lost His Mother

2005 Fantasy/novel with fairy-tale elements

A work that melds fairy-tale and folklore elements; critics called it that year's "most creative novel" and it was selected in China Times' annual Top 10 books.

folklorecreativityboundaries between humans and animals

Killing Ghosts

2009 Historical novel

A historical novel dealing with Taiwanese identities shaped by fifty years of Japanese occupation and subsequent KMT rule, set against the Kominka Movement and the 228 Incident, depicting the era's madness and the resilience of people on Taiwan.

Taiwanese identitymemories of colonizationhistorical violence

Story of a Funeral

2010 Short stories/linked stories

The Girl and the Woodcutter

2015 Novel

A novel incorporating elements related to the Pangcah (Bunun/indigenous) communities; winner of the First Prize of the Taiwan Literary Award.

indigenous peoplesculture and identity

The Summer General Winter Came

2017 Novel

Becoming Bunun

2021 Novel

Bibliography

  • Mysterious Train
  • The School of Water-ghosts and the Otter Who Lost His Mother
  • Killing Ghosts
  • Story of a Funeral
  • The Girl and the Woodcutter
  • The Summer General Winter Came
  • Becoming Bunun
  • A School with No Walls: An Independent Learning Paradise (co-authored, essay)

Adaptations

  • Several novels have been adapted into television series

Style & Themes

Literary Style
dense imageryincorporation of fairy-tale and fable elementsstrong Hakka cultural coloring
Recurring Motifs
interchangeability of human and animal feelingsethnic and regional identitymotifs from folk tales and traditions

Legacy

Kan Yao-ming is regarded as an important contemporary Taiwanese writer who uses rich, fantastical imagery to explore Hakka culture and Taiwan's history and society. Through multiple literary awards and screen adaptations, he is considered a significant figure in modern Taiwanese literature.

In Popular Culture

  • Increased recognition through television adaptations of his works

Trivia

  • Of Hakka origin and often incorporates Hakka language and culture into his works.
  • Previously worked as a reporter, a middle school teacher, and a small-theater playwright.
  • Several of his novels have been adapted into television series.
  • Born on 2 February 1972.
  • Holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and English Literature from National Dong Hwa University.