The image of the Taiwanese wavering between the tension of detachment and attachment in their relationship to the Japanese is never resolved

Chapter II
BIOGRAPHY OF YANG KUI AND HISTORY OF THE PUBLICATION OF "THE NEWSPAPER BOY"

     Yang Kui (a pseudonym for Yang Gui ) was born in Tainan, Taiwan in 1905. He attended school in Taiwan until 1924 when he travelled to Tokyo, seeking higher education. Yang worked as a laborer in several places before entering the University of Japan to pursue his literary interests. In 1927 he returned to Taiwan, and became involved with the literary movement; he also became involved in defending Taiwanese farmer's rights. In 1934 Yang served as editor of the Japanese version of Taiwan Wen Yi (Taiwan Literature). In 1935 he established a new journal, Taiwan Xin Wen Xue (New Taiwan Literature), which was banned by the Japanese authorities in 1937. Yang produced many works during this period, including novels, short stories, plays and essays. Yang Kui attempted to publish his first work of fiction, "The Newspaper Boy," (which was originally written in Japanese) in Taiwan Xin Min Bao, but the publication was banned after the first half of the story had been published. "The Newspaper Boy" was published in its entirety in the October 1934 issue of Tokyo's Bungaku Hyoron (Literary Review). The story was translated into Chinese by a powerful mainland Chinese literary figure, Hu Feng, who included it in a collection of Korean and Taiwanese short stories, Shan Ling: Chaoxian Taiwan Duanpian Ji (Korean and Taiwanese Short Stories). "The Newspaper Boy" was also published in the Shanghai journal Shijie Zhishi (World Culture) in 1936, and in the book Shijie Ruoxiao Minzu Xiaoshou Ji. In 1963 "The Newspaper Boy" was published in the Taiwanese journal You Shi Wenyi (Youth Literary Monthly) and in 1975, it was published in anthology of Yang Kui's short stories, Wang Mama Chu Jia. (Mother Goose Gets Married). Finally, in 1979, the editors of Guangfu Qian Taiwan Wenxue Quanji (Taiwan literature under the Japanese occupation, eight volumes) included "The Newspaper Boy" in volume six of the series, taking the title of this story for the title of the volume.

     During the Japanese occupation period, Yang Kui was arrested more than ten times by Japanese authorities for publishing (or attpemting to publish) his work. In the midst of the strict clamp down of leftist activists, Yang Kui retired from his literary career and moved to a small farm.

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