Examining the Lived Experiences of Women from a Novelist's Perspective 我為什麼寫小說？

**Join us from 2 PM - 3 PM for the public session, followed by a dedicated discussion space for women from 3 PM - 3:30 PM.

This lecture invites renowned Taiwanese queer writer Nathalie Chang (CHANG Yi- Hsum) to examine how literature reflects the lived experiences of women. Using literature as the starting point, this program explores topics of memory, family dynamics, and intergenerational relationships. An open conversation and exchange about gender identity, emotions, and life experiences with the community. 

本場講座邀請作家從創作歷程出發，分享文學如何回應女性的成長記憶、家庭關係，以及不同世代之間的理解與誤解。期待透過文學作為對話的起點，鼓勵跨世代的參與者在交流中重新理解彼此，也開啟更多關於性別、情感與生命經驗的對話。

This program is part of TAIWANfest

 

About the Artist

Nathalie CHANG (CHANG Yi- Hsum) was born in Muzha District, Taipei City. 

She published a true story in Reader’s Digest and several fictional stories in national newspapers during her adolescence. Not Long in Love, Her-History of Sex, and I’m Leaving are among her most famous novels, with I’m Leaving selected as one of the most representative works of Taiwanese literature.

Although she is considered a queer novelist who advocates for LGBT+ rights, her novels also present a critique of identity politics, whether based on gender or national identity. Her work explores themes such as sexual trauma, language, and the fate of Taiwan with impressive complexity.

She spent her childhood in a family that held great expectations for democracy in Taiwan. This firsthand experience and childhood observations preserved the intimacy of popular political action: how did major events during martial law, such as the Formosa Incident, the Chen Wen-cheng Incident, and the Lin Family Massacre, affect children's development? Chang goes beyond the common notion of "remembering history," emphasizing how the lack of public memory brings cruelty and injustice to various victims.

She won the Golden Tripod Award for Best Column Writing for her work "All the Grownups Who Once Bored Me." She holds a Master's degree in Film Studies from Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris and has written for the Film Appreciation Journal and the National Museum of Taiwan Literature. Two Canadians have greatly influenced her: writer Evelyn Lau and pianist Glenn Gould.

張亦絢（Nathalie CHANG / CHANG Yi-Hsum）出生於台北市木柵區。青少女時期，她曾在《讀者文摘》上發表過一篇真實故事，並在全國性報紙上發表過小說。 《愛的不久時》、《性意思史》和《永別書》是她最著名的作品。其中，《永別書》被評為台灣文學的代表作之一。

儘管她被視為酷兒小說家並為LGBT+權益發聲，但她的小說仍然對基於性別或民族的認同政治進行了批判。她的作品探討了性創傷、語言和台灣命運等主題，其複雜性令人印象深刻。

她在一個對台灣民主抱持巨大期望的家庭中度過童年。這種親身經歷和孩童般的觀察保有了人們政治行動中的親密性：戒嚴時期的事件，例如美麗島事件、陳文成事件和林宅血案，如何影響兒童成長？張亦絢並不滿足於「記住歷史」這種觀念，而是強調缺乏公眾記憶會對各類受害者造成殘酷和不公。

她以《我討厭過的大人們》榮獲金鼎獎最佳專欄獎。她擁有巴黎索邦大學電影研究碩士學位。她也為《電影欣賞》和台灣文學館的展覽撰稿。兩位加拿大人對她影響深遠：作家劉綺芬和鋼琴家顧爾德。