A legendary Book on Taiwan's History Now in English Version

I'm Nathan Shiga and today's episode has to do with my involvement in the publication of a long-awaited English version of Ong Iok tok's "Taiwan: A History of Agonies" - a legendary book on the history of Taiwan widely read in its Chinese version among the Taiwanese in the trying years under the rule of the alien regime from China under Chiang kai-shek and his successors.

The author, Ong Iok tok, is a Taiwanese historian and linguist educated under Japanese rule and as such a superb writer in Japanese in which this book was originally written. He wrote it in Japanese for the Japanese readership solely for the purpose of awakening the Japanese to the realities in his home country, Taiwan, and soliciting their support for the Taiwanese bid for self-determination.

Ong deceased in 1985, survived by his wife and family. His daughter Ong Meiri is currently walking in her father's wakes as Chairman of WUFI, the World United Formosans for Independence.

It was at Ong Meiri's ardent request that I ventured on the translation of this memorable publication that had been left untranslated in English on account solely of the language it was written in - a highly sophisticated, refined Japanese several mediocre translators have tried in vain to translate into a readable English.

Not that I'm in any way superior to others in this profession, I was driven by a sheer wish to respond to Ong Meiri's aspiration to have her father's lifework broadly appreciated in the world. More often than not, I "met and discussed" with the author in imaginary tete-a-tetes in the course of translation, learning between the well-knit sentences what he meant to convey to his readers. It was a tough but highly enlightening endeavour.

Nathan Shiga is my pen name for writing via the Internet; Yasuharu Shimamura is my proper name by birth - the name used as the translator of "Taiwan: A History of Agonies". By the way, my translation is completely genuine - genuine in the sense that it is completely my own, errors and all, free from any third-party scrutiny, for the purpose of preserving the author's "breathing" rich in his original in Japanese.

The book is published by AVANGUARD Taiwan. https://www.avanguard.com.tw/ch60/CH1/1838/MD/MD1187200.html

Taiwan today is experiencing painful and yet joyful labor pains under the new woman leader Tsai Ing-wen. More power to Taiwan. (Nathan Shiga)