Man Booker book prize organisers revert author's nationality to ‘Taiwan’ after outcry
Writer Wu Ming-yi, nominated for the prestigious international award, was originally listed as coming from ‘Taiwan, China’
The Man Booker International Prize has reversed a move to change a Taiwanese author’s nationality to “Taiwan, China” after the literary award was criticised for bowing to pressure from Beijing.
Wu Ming-yi – whose novel The Stolen Bicycle was among the 13 books longlisted for the prestigious prize – had protested after his nationality on the Man Booker website was revised from “Taiwan” to “Taiwan, China”.
The change was prompted by a complaint from the Chinese embassy in Britain, according to the London-based award organiser Booker Prize Foundation.
Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy, but China views it as part of its territory, to be brought back under its control using force if necessary.
Beijing rejects any recognition of Taiwan’s sovereignty and has recently rebuked foreign firms – including Zara, Marriott, and Delta – for listing Taiwan as a separate country on their websites.
But the organisers said on Wednesday it has decided to change Wu’s nationality back to “Taiwan” after consulting interested parties and British government advice.