By Angel Scott
On June 25th, 1995, author Qiu Miaojin died by her own hand at twenty-six years old. She had just finished her second novel. Miaojin is now a queer icon and is foundational to the classic and innovative queer writing in Taiwan.
Miaojin quickly became one of her country's most known LGBTQIA+ figures. She grew up attending Taipei First Girls High School, a prestigious all-girls school. She later went to National Taiwan University, where she earned a degree in psychology. She then discovered journalism and decided to become a writer. She began by publishing short stories that were received in high regard, resulting in her first award, The Zhongyang Times short story award. After this, she began a series of novels and novellas.
Miaojin’s first novel, Notes of a Crocodile, tells a coming-of-age story about a group of queer kids struggling to find a place where they belong. We're led through this tale by a teen lesbian named Lazi, learning through her eyes stories of friendship, artistic abilities, life at a prestigious school, and navigating the world as queer youth.
Miaojin then leads us through her semi-autobiography, Last Words from Montmartre. This masterpiece is a story of undying love and lust between two young women discovering their sexualities through a series of letters. This story features the aftermath of a broken love and the devastation that follows. The main character of the book much reflects Qiu Miaojin and this book left behind was considered to be Miaojin's own suicide note, her Last Words.
Since Miaojin’s death, she has become a historical queer icon in Taiwan. Her novels are very well known all over the world for openly embracing sexuality and growing up in a world that doesn’t understand the struggle of simply embracing who you are.
“My world is one of tainted sustenance. I love my own kind; womankind.” ~ Qiu Miaojin
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