Department of Cultural Affairs

The winner of the first Writing Taipei Annual Book Award, organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, was officially announced today, January 26. The Grand Prize goes to Kuo-chih Shu for his work Eating and Me, published by Route Culture. 

Under the theme “Only Writing, No Final Chapter,” this year’s award seeks to present Taipei’s rich and diverse cultural landscape through writing based on the city. 

The award ceremony will take place on February 4 at the Theme Plaza (主題廣場) at Taipei International Book Exhibition. The author will receive a prize of NT$500,000, and the publisher NT$100,000, with both receiving certificates and trophies in recognition of their achievement.

Eating and Me (我與吃飯) is a further example of Kuo-chih Shu’s signature calm and refined prose. Shu uses food as a lens to portrays the everyday feelings and urban character of the people of Taipei. Through careful, human-centered observation, he writes about local food, the streets, and interpersonal encounters, transforming the texture of city life into sensory memory and literary experience. The jury noted that Shu’s understated yet deeply resonant writing captures the spirit of Taipei, his reflections on food moving beyond mere cuisine to mirror the feelings of the city and the passage of time, to offer one of the most distinctive urban perspectives in contemporary Taipei literature.

Writing Taipei is the first city-themed annual writing award to be created by the city government, said Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Shih-ping Tsai. The goal of the award is to use reading and other creative work to ensure that Taipei’s stories are seen, recorded, and passed on.

Commissioner Tsai expressed congratulations for the winner and added that the book reminds readers that Taipei’s beauty lies not in grand narratives but in the subtle yet deep details of everyday life.

Since the award was announced, it has attracted wide attention from the publishing industry and readers alike. The finalists come from literature, art, cultural commentary, and urban history, demonstrating the many facets of Taipei. After multiple rounds of review, Eating and Me was unanimously selected for its style, depth, and strong connection to the city.