Qiu Miaojin
TaiwanAbout
Qiu Miaojin (1969–1995) was a Taiwanese novelist and one of the most influential figures in modern queer literature in East Asia. Born in Changhua County, Taiwan, she studied psychology at National Taiwan University before moving to Paris to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology. Her writing explores lesbian identity, desire, alienation, self-discovery, and the emotional complexities of living outside conventional social expectations. Her groundbreaking novel Notes of a Crocodile (1994) portrays queer life in 1990s Taipei through the fragmented diary of a young woman navigating love, friendship, and social prejudice. The novel became a landmark of Taiwanese queer literature and is celebrated for its experimental form and frank depiction of lesbian experience. Her posthumously published work Last Words from Montmartre (1996) is an epistolary novel composed of letters that explore heartbreak, obsession, identity, and existential despair. Through intimate, formally innovative writing, Qiu challenged cultural taboos and created enduring literary space for queer voices. Her work continues to resonate with readers exploring identity, desire, and the search for belonging.
