Becoming an editor
Most people think of Chu as an editor; his own creative work is rarely discussed, even though he started his writing career at an early age and has made remarkable achievements.
For Chu himself, being an editor is a lifelong commitment, a vocation to which he is happy to devote himself. He thus describes his editorial work: “At first it was just something I liked, then it became a mission, and eventually I started to feel a huge sense of obligation.” Chu proudly says that throughout his life, he has done only two kinds of work. His first job was as a teacher at Mingdao High School in Taichung. There he realized that teaching was not for him. After just one year, he resigned without a second thought. By that time he and his partner were in a stable relationship, so he felt free to be more venturesome.
He went on to serve as a literary editor for 35 years, spending two decades at the literary magazine Unitas, where he progressed from an entry-level employee to editor-in-chief. Subsequently he established another literary magazine, INK. For a time he also edited a journal dedicated to short stories. He has been pursuing this career single-mindedly, without ever looking back.
The Japanese writer Saburo Kawamoto famously said that only through literature are we able to hear the murmurs of disadvantaged people. Chu agrees: “Literature is my religion. It alone lives on and on, recording the stories of generation after generation. More real than history itself, it is capable of seeking justice in the long vistas of time. This kind of work is a blessing, and it calls for unflagging energy.” During our interview, Chu keeps self-deprecatingly referring to the conflicts between reality and his dreams, but whenever he speaks of his editorial work his unwavering determination shines through.
As an editor, Chu divides his energies between his magazine and books. He has his eye on foreign markets, and a third of the titles published under the INK imprint have been made available internationally.