1 National Literature and Beyond

Abstract

In colonial Taiwan, much of the early literary and research activities were launched by professors and the many lectures held at the Taipei Imperial University, all of which embodied the authority of knowledge. During the half of Nishikawa Mitsuru's lifetime spent in Taiwan, Nishikawa founded and edited eighteen journals and published many novels, collections of short stories, and poetry. The distinctive feature of Nishikawa's early poetry was a balance of various artistic elements: flamboyant colours, along with subtly lyrical and illusive characteristics. Similar to the use of colours and images, Nishikawa's use of language, mostly for artistic effect, also demonstrated a mosaic feature. Nishikawa carried out the pursuit of developing national literature in a unique way. Modern ways of artistic expressions such as decadence and exoticism, which were largely derived from European literary traditions, seemed to have permeated much of Nishikawa's writing.Keywords: colonial Taiwan; European literary traditions; Japanese national literature; Japanese poetry; Nishikawa Mitsuru; Taipei Imperial University