Ghost Town

Kevin Chen In conversation with Michael Berry
Tuesday, Apr 25, 2023 | 7:00pm Westwood Branch Library

This bestselling author and winner of the Taiwan Literature Award is back with one of the most anticipated books of last fall by The New York Times. Ghost Town, begins a decade after Keith Chen leaves his traditional Taiwanese family in a small village in Taiwan for Berlin. Chen is hoping that he will find support and acceptance far away from the attitudes and practices of his village.

The novel opens with Chen being released from prison for killing his boyfriend. He is about to return to the desolate village in which he grew up. His parents are now gone, and his siblings are angry or have gone mad.

Told in a myriad of voices, both living and dead, Ghost Town weaves a mesmerizing story where we learn what family secrets tore Chen’s family apart and the real tale behind the murder of Chen’s boyfriend.

Kevin Chen

Taiwanese author Kevin Chen started his career as a cinema and theater actor. Now based in Germany, he has published several novels, essays, and short story collections in Taiwan. He is the winner of several literature awards in Taiwan. His first English publication Ghost Town, translated by Darryl Sterk, was reviewed by The New York Times, NPR, Publishers Weekly, etc. Ghost Town was placed on the list of Best Books of World Literature 2022 by Library Journal and the longlist of PEN Translation Prize 2023. Ghost Town will be translated into 10 languages.

Michael Berry

Michael Berry is Professor of Contemporary Chinese Cultural Studies and Director of the Center for Chinese Studies at UCLA. He is the author of several books on Chinese cinema, including Speaking in Images: Interviews with Contemporary Chinese Filmmakers (2006) and A History of Pain: Trauma in Modern Chinese Literature and Film (2008). He has served as a film consultant and a juror for numerous film festivals, including the Golden Horse (Taiwan) and the Fresh Wave (Hong Kong). He is also the translator of several books by contemporary Chinese writers, including Wild Kids (2000), Nanjing 1937: A Love Story (2002), To Live (2004), The Song of Everlasting Sorrow (2008), Remains of Life (2017) and Wuhan Diary (2020) and Hospital (2022).

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