MOU signed for writers’ residency exchange program between Taiwan and Czechia

MOU signed for writers’ residency exchange program between Taiwan and Czechia

2025-09-16

In the final leg of Minister of Culture Li Yuan’s trip to Europe, he witnessed the signing of an MOU between Taiwan and the Moravian Library in Brno for a writers’ and translators’ residency exchange program. Starting as early as next year, National Taiwan Literature Museum and the Moravian Library will each sponsor a writer or translator for a month under the program. This marked a new milestone in Taiwan-Czechia cultural exchanges, which has become closer in recent years.

A piece by Czech composer Leoš Janáček is played live at the venue, the Milan Kundera Library housed inside the Moravian Library in Brno, Czechia. Minister of Culture Li Yuan is here to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Taiwan’s representative office in Prague and the library to launch a residency exchange program for writers and translators between the two sides.

I’m very happy to be here today to witness this residency program at the Milan Kundera Library. How I wish I could be the program’s first writer-in-residence.

Tomáš Kubíček
Morovian Library director
Our two countries have similar historical experiences. Through our exchanges, we will be able to attract the attention of more young people, so they can reflect on the values of human rights and liberty.

The ceremony takes place at the venue with the world’s largest collection of Milan Kundera’s original and translated works, which are also heavily based on Czechia’s authoritarian past. Once effective, the Moravian Library and National Museum of Taiwan Literature will each sponsor a writer or translator to do a month-long residency program.

Taiwan and Czechia have been actively conducting cultural exchanges in recent years. In 2022, National Taiwan Museum and the Czech National Technical Museum also signed a memorandum of understanding, the initial results of which culminated in an exhibition on Indigenous artifacts and craftsmanship of Taiwan that began in April this year. Highlights include a traditional Tao fishing boat built by a team led by Tao writer Syaman Rapongan, as well as a hunting hut built by Tsou hunter Mo’e Yasiyungu. One local visitor of the exhibition said she’s so impressed that she’s already planning to visit Taiwan.

I really like to see they’re well done. They are not by machine. And I will be going to Taiwan in one month.

The day before, Minister Li’s delegation also visited the Czech Museum of Literature. They were welcomed by the museum’s director Michal Stehlík. The two sides exchanged views on transdisciplinarity in literature, preserving handwritten manuscripts and the implications of AI on literature. The minister shared a tidbit on how technology changed him as a writer.

Li Yuan
Minister of Culture
I learned how to use a computer in 2013. Now, I can use my phone to write a manuscript of 20,000 words, all on the phone.

The Czech Museum of Literature also announced at the meeting that they will host a conference for literature museum directors from around the world, and that they hope to invite Taiwan as well. If realized, Taiwan literature will continue to broaden its global reach.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#taiwan #czechia #literature #milankundera #booksfromtaiwan

台捷文學駐村交流計畫啟動李遠:盼我是第一個進駐

2025-09-16

文化部長李遠，首度訪歐，要推動台灣、捷克文學交流，其中，要與遠摩拉維亞圖書館，簽署台捷文學駐村交流計畫協議，宣告從明年起，兩國可以互派1位作家或譯者，駐村1個月，為雙邊文學創作與文化交流，開啟新里程碑。

現場演奏捷克作曲家楊納傑克的音樂，獻給遠道而來的文化部團隊，在部長李遠的見證下，駐捷克代表處文化組副組長馬嘉霙，與摩拉維亞國家圖書館館長庫比切克，簽署駐村交流計畫。

[[文化部長李遠]]
“我今天很高興來到這邊，見證米蘭昆德拉的駐村計畫，我多麼希望我就是第一個來駐村的人。”

[[摩拉維亞圖書館館長庫比切克]]
“兩國都有相似的歷史經驗，透過我們彼此交流，我們就能吸引更多年輕人，讓更多年輕人關注思考，這些關於人權自由的價值。”

雙方在米蘭昆德拉的藏書空間，細數台捷相似文化與歷史。未來每年都會互派一位作家到彼此國家，駐村一個月。而台捷合作，不只圖書館。

台灣博物館與捷克技術博物館2022年簽訂合作，在文化部風潮計畫的支持下，今年四月在捷克推出原住民特展，有達悟族作家夏曼‧藍波安團隊，打造的拼板舟，也有鄒族獵人安孝明，親手搭建的獵寮，有捷克民眾看完後，決定要去台灣！

[[捷克參觀民眾]]
“我非常喜歡拼板舟，做得非常好，沒有任何機械，我下個月就要去台灣了。”

文化合作，不只策劃展覽，文學館也很重要，捷克國家文學館館長史戴力克，熱情接待，雙方從文學跨域、手稿保存到 AI科技展開討論。李遠還分享自己寫作的秘密技能！

[[文化部長李遠]]
“我2013年的時候，我就學習電腦，現在我可以用手機，一本書20幾萬字，用手機寫。”

明年將會舉辦「世界文學館長會議」，館方希望能邀請台灣參加，讓台灣文學能量，與世界同步交流。

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