Lord of Formosa: a historical novel of Taiwan
Keynote speech about the novelist's point of view on the historical era between the Netherlands and Taiwan
13:30 - 14:30 | De Hallen Studio's
The year is 1624. In Southwestern Taiwan, the Dutch establish a trading settlement. In Nagasaki, a boy is born who will later become immortalized as Ming dynasty loyalist Koxinga. Lord Formosa tells the intertwined stories of Koxinga and the Dutch colony, from their beginnings to their fateful climax in 1662. The year before, as Ming China collapsed in the face of the Manchu conquest, Koxinga retreated across the Taiwan Strait intent on expelling the Dutch. Thus began a nine-month battle for Fort Zeelandia, the single most compelling episode in the history of Taiwan. The first major military clash between China and Europe, it tells a tale of war, drama, intrigue and betrayal -a battle of wills between the stubborn Governor Coyett and the brilliant but volatile Koxinga.
Closely based on historical events, Lord of Formosa is a gripping, epic novel that’s full of suspense, about the forgotten history of the Dutch colonists on Taiwan and how they were dramatically expelled from the island by Chinese warlord Koxinga. An irresistible panorama of memorable characters caught up in one of the seventeenth century’s most fascinating dramas, it tells a story set during the glory days of the Dutch East India Company and the fall of the Ming dynasty, in which loyalties and family ties are severely put to the test.
The author will talk about the actual story, the main historical characters, what inspired her to write the book, the challenges she faced writing the historical narrative as a novelist, balancing the Dutch/Chinese perspectives, the difficulties of mixing fact and fiction, the unusual publishing route of the book, the book on Taiwan she is currently working on, and much, much more...
Dutch-born Joyce M. Bergvelt (1963) left Holland for Japan at the age of ten, her nomadic childhood later taking her to England and finally, Taiwan, where she took up studying Chinese at NTNU. She returned to England to embark on a degree in Chinese Studies at the University of Durham, which included a year at Renmin University in Beijing.
In Sydney she studied Freelance Journalism and in Dubai she worked for a Dutch magazine. 'Formosa, voorgoed verloren', a historical novel about the Dutch in Taiwan, was her literary debut (Uitgeverij Conserve, 2015) The book was longlisted for the Hebban Debut prize and was awarded three stars by the Dutch quality newspaper NRC Handelsblad. The original English edition of the book, 'Lord of Formosa', was published by Camphor Press in 2018.The book was well received in Taiwan by both readers and the press, and was runner-up for the Asian Books Blog Book of the Year award in 2019. The Chinese (trad.) translation appeared at Avanguard/Qianwei Publishing House in 2023.
In February, Bergvelt was invited by the Ministry of Culture Taiwan to attend the Taipei International Book Exhibition to talk about her work in order to commemorate 400 years of Taiwan/Netherlands relations.
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Her latest (Dutch) novel 'Commandeur van de Kaap' about Simon van der Stel, the 17th century commander of Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, appeared in 2022. Both her books have been included in the Literary Canon of the Netherlands' lists of books on the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Bergvelt writes in both Dutch and in English, and also does translation work. She is the proud mum of two (great) adult children and currently lives in Amsterdam.
Learn more about Joyce M. Bergvelt:
Joyce Bergvelt Author