''Literary Friends Communications'' (

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

: 文友通訊) was a

mimeographed A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator or stencil machine) is a low-cost duplicating machines, duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called ...

literary publication that emerged in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in the late 1950s. It was founded by writers including Chung Chao-cheng and Chung Li-ho. In the process of editing and circulating the publication, Taiwanese writers exchanged ideas and mutually encouraged each other, forming a unique cohesion among writers.

Background

In the 1950s, Taiwan was in a state of cross-strait tension due to the aftermaths of the Second

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, and the

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

led to a wartime mobilization period. In terms of literature, the

Nationalist government The Nationalist government, officially the National Government of the Republic of China, refers to the government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China from 1 July 1925 to 20 May 1948, led by the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT ...

implemented

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

literary policies and

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

promotion movements. Whether in newspaper supplements or other publications, Mandarin Chinese was the predominant language for creative works. Taiwanese writers who had used

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

as their writing tool during the Japanese rule period almost lost the space to publish their works. Recognizing the writing difficulties faced by Taiwanese writers, in April 1957, Chung Chao-cheng initiated a correspondence among Taiwanese writers through letters, giving rise to ''Literary Friends Communications''. It is considered the first publication uniting Taiwanese writers after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, conducted through written correspondence. From the first issue in April 1957 until it ceased publication in September 1958, the newsletter was issued for a total of 1 year and 4 months, with a total of 16 communications. The main functions of ''Literary Friends Communications'' included reporting on the activities of various literary friends, circulating their works, and providing critiques.

Influence

''Literary Friends Communications'', being non-publicly circulated, maintained the function of communication and the spirit of private commentary on works. During the martial law period in Taiwan, in an environment where secret societies were viewed with suspicion for potentially compromising security, the operation of ''Literary Friends Communications'' was indeed valuable. It represented a groundbreaking attempt to overcome the limitations of mainstream publications that found it challenging to publish works by Taiwanese writers. In literary history, it holds a special significance.

References

{{reflist Literary magazines published in Taiwan