Using The Survival of Independent Bookstores to See A Hopeful Future in Taiwan’s Next Generation

One of the values this generation possesses is that,
even if we don’t know each other or are not even friends,
as long as we have the same objectives, we can all work together and be willing to help and support one another.
Together we walk on the same path to accomplish our mutual goals.

Someone who wants to run an independent bookstore must have romanticism! 

Walking into Duzu Books on a hot and humid summer night in Taipei,
inside the store light, yellow light accompanies two or three tables of guests.
Here,
Book lovers use their gentleness and freedom to create,
to build up a space full of imagination.
Even though you’re alone, you can still enjoy the space and feel at ease.

If there’s any bookstore you like,
why not pay it a visit from time to time?
Order a cup of coffee or more to support its business.  

Sharky Chen

His eyes shine with pleasure whenever he talks about books.           
Full of passion and inspiration.

Sharky Chen has multiple identities: an editor, writer, translator,
as well as a shareholder of Duzu Books,
a business operator of Commabooks,
and one of the co-founders of the Indie Publishers Association of Taiwan.

Through failure, he’s learned to be humble,
and realized that he was too conceited when he worked in the publishing industry before.
He stopped being narrow-minded and using a Taipei-centric point of view to interpret other cultures.

Since then, he’s got a whole different perspective toward bookstores and publishing,
no longer just wanting others to accept what he thinks is wonderful.
Instead, he’s become more open-minded, inviting others to enjoy the space that books create.

It is the best of times, but in the meantime,
it is the worst of times.

Reading can bring you both visual and sensory enjoyment.
The era we live in overflows with lots of creativity.
Information is shared and broadcasted immediately,
and different issues are brought up and spread around in an instant.
Bookstores therefore, are more like communication centres,

And the publishing industry resembles a type of mass media,
The impacts generated by books seem smaller and weaker than before,
However, words are getting easier to connect on the Internet.
They bring all of us together and open up more discussion,
As a result, the distance between you and me gets closer and closer.   

Before he was known as “Nan-Jung Cheng.”
He was the chief editor of a publishing house.

Recommended by Duzu Books and 
published by Commabooks.
《The Magazine’s Remaining Errors are Chief Editor Nan-Jung Cheng’s Responsibility》

This is a book which brings us back to the time when Nan-Jung Cheng worked as a chief editor in a publishing house.
It opens a dialogue with the younger generation, discussing issues on modern society and current global events.

By reading Cheng’s articles,
we could understand why and how he, as a publisher, ignited a revolution.
And we can reflect upon ourselves,
to contemplate what we can do to fight for what we love.

Being a chief editor himself, Nan-Jung Cheng was just an ordinary person.
Each one of us in our generation could be like him,
devoting ourselves to what we believe in and
accomplishing what our lives truly long for.
The most beautiful scenery of Taiwan is “the freedom of speech.”           

Does the World Know Too Little About Taiwanese Literature?

Maybe it will never be enough for Taiwan,
But it will be great if everyone in Taiwan
can use any forms of  literature, art, film, music, and more

to think about what Taiwan really means,
and our place in this world as Taiwanese.
Dream big. Everything is possible. 

This is Duzu Books

Here,   
people can read alone. 
Read between every word and every line to discover and explore.