"Formosa: A Geographical and Historical Description of Taiwan and Japan" by George Psalmanazar

2021/05/22

This book is the first Japanese translation of "Formosa," a work known as a curious book. The original was published in London in 1704. As the subtitle indicates, the main content is the "geographical history of Taiwan and Japan," but it is, of course, not a record of field research by the author Psalmanazar (a pseudonym). Psalmanazar gathered information about Taiwan and Japan circulating in Europe at the time to elaborately construct a country called "Formosa," and then falsely claimed that he was born and raised there before eventually traveling to Europe and converting to the Church of England. Since the facts that he was from southern France, wandered across Europe, converted to the Church of England, and appeared in London are considered biographical facts, the account of his conversion in the latter half of the book could be described as autobiographical. This curious book took London and Europe by storm in the early 18th century. The Royal Society, with Newton as its president, invited him to hold a dissertation hearing, where figures such as Edmond Halley, the discoverer of Halley's Comet, questioned his authenticity as a Formosan, but his deceptive skills only became more refined. Psalmanazar even nonchalantly lectured on a language called "Formosan" at Oxford University.

Although this book is full of such fiction, it is, of course, impossible to dismiss everything as a "tall tale." The information about Formosa gathered by Psalmanazar is itself a mixture of truth and falsehood, and the doctrinal disputes regarding his conversion are quite vivid as expressions of his frank opinions. In Formosa, an emperor was once assassinated; when an Englishman says, "I simply cannot believe such a cruel thing," Psalmanazar scoffs, "It is the same in your country," referring to the execution of Charles I—a moment where readers might find themselves applauding him instead. Published at a time when works from the dawn of the modern novel, such as "Robinson Crusoe" and "Gulliver's Travels," were appearing one after another, this book brings to light the delicate boundary between fact and fiction, and between what is perceived as fact and human imagination/creativity. The reality of this book, which is both a curious work and a forgery, shines precisely on that boundary line, and it is this that continues to fascinate modern readers.

"Formosa: A Geographical and Historical Description of Taiwan and Japan" by George Psalmanazar

Noriyuki Harada (Trans.)

Heibonsha Library

424 pages, 1,980 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and job titles are as of the time of publication.