Wu Mingyi

Wu Ming-Yi (born June 20, 1971) is a multidisciplinary Taiwanese artist, author, academic and environmental activist. In Chinese, he is especially well known for his non-fiction books on butterflies, The Book of Lost Butterflies (2000) and The Dao of Butterflies (2003), which he also designed and illustrated.^[1] His ecological parable The Man with Compound Eyes (2011) was published in English August 29, 2013 by Harvill Secker^[2] and will be published by Vintage Pantheon in North America in spring, 2014. This novel, which tells the story of a young Pacific islander, Atelie (Atile'i in the English translation), from the fictitious island of Wayo Wayo (suggesting Bora Bora) who arrives on the East Coast of Taiwan when the 'trash vortex', a floating mountain of trash which has formed out of the Great Pacific Trash Vortex, collides with the island, has been described as "a masterpiece of environmental literature about an apocalyptic aboriginal encounter with modernity...Trash, resource shortages, and the destruction of Taiwan's coastline as a result of the pursuit of unenlightened self-interest are unremarkable raw materials, but [Wu Mingyi] mashes them into art." ^[3]

Biography

Wu was born in 1971 in Taoyuan, Taiwan (Republic of China) (now Taoyuan District, Taoyuan). He holds a BA in marketing from Fu-Jen Catholic University and a PhD in Chinese Literature from National Central University. In 2000 he began teaching literature and creative writing at Dong Hwa University.^[4]

Works

Novels

• We're Closed Today《本日公休》（Chiuko 九歌出版社，1997）
• Grandfather Tiger《虎爺》（Chiuko 九歌出版社，2003）
• Routes in a Dream《睡眠的航線》（2-fishes 二魚文化，2007）
• The Man with Compound Eyes《複眼人》（Summer Festival 夏日出版社，2011）
• The Magician on the Skywalk《天橋上的魔術師》（Summer Festival 夏日出版社，2011）

Essay Collections

• The Book of Lost Butterflies《迷蝶誌》（Wheat Field Press 麥田出版社，2000）；（Reprinted by Summer Festival 夏日出版社，2010）
• The Dao of Butterflies《蝶道》（2-fishes 二魚文化，2003）；修訂版（二魚文化，2010）
• So Much Water So Close to Home《家離水邊那麼近》（2-fishes 二魚文化，2007）

Literary Theory

• Liberating Nature through Writing《以書寫解放自然：台灣現代自然書寫的探索》（Da'an Press 大安出版社，2011）；Reprinted under the name 'The Search for Modern Taiwanese Nature Writing 1980-2002：Liberating Nature through Writing'《臺灣現代自然書寫的探索 1980-2002：以書寫解放自然 BOOK 1》（Summer Festival 夏日出版社，2011）
• (Co-edited With Wu Sheng) Wetlands - Petrochemicals - Island Imagination《溼地．石化．島嶼想像》（Unique Route 有鹿文化，2011）
• Essays by Taiwanese Nature Writers 1980-2002: Liberating Nature through Writing, vol. 2《臺灣自然書寫的作家論 1980-2002：以書寫解放自然 BOOK 2》（Summer Festival 夏日出版社，2011）
• The Heart of Nature—From Nature Writing to Ecological Criticism: Liberating Nature through Writing, vol. 3 《自然之心─從自然書寫到生態批評：以書寫解放自然 BOOK 3》（Summer Festival 夏日出版社，2011）

Edited

• Selected Taiwanese Nature Writing《臺灣自然寫作選》（2-fishes 二魚文化，2003）

Awards and Honors

• 1989 Father's Wooden Ruler〈父親的木尺〉National Students Literature Award 全國學生文學獎
• 1992 The Last Xiyilieke〈最後的希以列克〉Unitas Magazine Debut New Author Short Story Award 聯合文學小說新人獎
• 1996 Traces of the Enemy〈敵蹤〉Taiwan Literature Magazine Wang Shixun New Author Award 《臺灣新文學》王世勛小說新人獎
• 1998 Lost Butterflies〈迷蝶〉Liang Shiqiu Literary Award 梁實秋文學獎
• 1998 Flying〈飛〉Ecology and Reporting Literature Award 生態暨報導文學獎
• 1999 Eyes〈眼〉Central Daily Literature Award 中央日報文學獎
• 2000 The Book of Lost Butterflies《迷蝶誌》Taipei Literature Award Creativity Award 台北文學獎文學創作獎
• 2001 Grandfather Tiger 〈虎爺〉Unitas Magazine Literature Award Best Novel 聯合報文學獎小說大獎
• 2007 So Much Water So Close to Home《家離水邊那麼近》China Times Kaijuan Good Book Award 中國時報開卷好書獎
• 2007 Routes in the Dream《睡眠的航線》Included in the Asia Weekly's Chinese Language 10 Best Books 亞洲週刊中文十大好書
• 2010 Dao of Butterflies《蝶道》Included in Jin Shi Tang's Most Influential Books of the Year 金石堂年度最有影響力的書
• 2011 The Man with Compound Eyes《複眼人》China Times Kaijuan Good Book Award 中國時報開卷好書獎
• 2012 The Magician on the Skywalk《天橋上的魔術師》China Times Kaijuan Good Book Award 中國時報開卷好書獎

References

External links

• , official website
• , article about English translation of _The Man with Compound Eyes_