Shitao Ye

Ye Shitao (1925-2008) was a leading voice in literature from Taiwan for almost fifty years. A native of Tainan, he spent his life in southern Taiwan. He was educated in Japanese and classical Chinese, only beginning to learn baihua vernacular Chinese in the late 1940s. A prolific writer of fiction, including the classic Red Shoes, Ye's work features ordinary people struggling against economic and political exploitation portrayed in empathetic and subtle ways. His own literary style is most...See more

Ye Shitao (1925-2008) was a leading voice in literature from Taiwan for almost fifty years. A native of Tainan, he spent his life in southern Taiwan. He was educated in Japanese and classical Chinese, only beginning to learn baihua vernacular Chinese in the late 1940s. A prolific writer of fiction, including the classic Red Shoes, Ye's work features ordinary people struggling against economic and political exploitation portrayed in empathetic and subtle ways. His own literary style is most influenced by French and Russian fiction of the 19th century. He also is known for his works of literary criticism and scholarship, of which A History of Taiwan Literature is the most important. Ye was instrumental in encouraging countless young Taiwanese writers to develop their skills and publish their work. In the early 1950s, Ye was imprisoned for three years during the White Terror period in Taiwan but survived it and went on to flourish as a major literary figure in Taiwan for over thirty more years. See less