The National Museum of Taiwan Literature held an opening party on December 1 for the official opening of the special exhibition Shining Stars of Modernism - American and Taiwan Literature. Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che, Deputy Mayor Yeh Tse-Shan, Ministry of Culture Political Deputy Minister Li Jing-hui, AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk, and AIT Kaohsiung Branch Chief Neil Gibson were invited to attend the event.
The “Tainan 400” event series will take place in Tainan the following year, according to Mayor Huang Wei-che. Tainan began to formally engage with the world four centuries ago, and after centuries of intercultural integration, the city now boasts a rich cultural legacy. This exhibition presents copious content and the Mayor sincerely invited everyone in Taiwan to come to Tainan for a bountiful literary tour.
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature pointed out that this special exhibition features a couple of American modernism writers between the 1920s and 1950s, such as Hemingway, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald. These three famous writers who are all well-known to Taiwanese readers, creatively express their observations of the various facets of American society through their unique works. At this exhibition, visitors can figure out how Taiwanese writers in the 1960s developed our unique local style after absorbing Western modernism techniques.
This exhibition is jointly organized by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and the American Institute in Taiwan Kaohsiung Branch Office (AITK). Precious books and digital video files were borrowed from the South Carolina State University Library, the Chicago Oak Park Public Library, and the University of Virginia. In addition, the ceramic flying targets used by the great writer Hemingway for shooting practice are also on display with permission from the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center in Piggott, Arkansas. Visitors can see up close slices of the writer’s everyday life through a variety of exhibited items.
The exhibition opens now and runs through April 28, 2024. The “US Month” Series is also planned to promote this event. The Series offers several free activities (limited slots available) such as American baking, gardening, gourmet bars, in-depth tours, literary adaptation film screenings, and pre-screening talks. There will also be a new book presentation for the special exhibition book 《文學群星會》(“Literature Star Lineup”). The National Museum of Taiwan Literature welcomes those who are interested to sign up on the National Museum of Taiwan Literature’s FB fan page for a cultural experience.