Japanese Literature discussion
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Hello! I haven't been around much, but I'm now back from my trip and reading All the Lovers in the Night (belatedly)... interestingly, in August I was in Athens and saw a guy reading it (in the English translation) on the metro... wondered if he was one of our Goodreads group members!!I want to read Heaven too but am worried it'll be too dark & realistic for me.
I finished Lonely Castle in the Mirror the ideas behind it were sound but I wasn't that keen on it as a novel. But I am looking forward to the upcoming anime film version.My review via book page or here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
ladybluerose wrote: "Hello! I haven't been around much, but I'm now back from my trip and reading All the Lovers in the Night (belatedly)... interestingly, in August I was in Athens and saw a guy reading it (in the Eng..."I've read this and 'Breast and Eggs' but avoiding 'Heaven' for similar reasons.
The topic of Breasts and Eggs is too far removed from normal Japanese society to be a good novel to me. The characters are quite well "fleshed out", though, which I think is characteristic of many Japanese novels with the exception of Mishima. At least Breasts and Eggs has a happy ending,
I was disappointed by Riku Onda's mystery Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight I liked the style, structure and imagery but the ideas behind it seemed rather thin, and the narrative a little too deliberate.Review on book page or here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Alwynne wrote: "I was disappointed by Riku Onda's mystery Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight I liked the style, structure and imagery but the ideas behind it seemed rather thin, and the narrative a ..."I pre-ordered Fish Swimming, and then haven't been motivated to touch it. I'd also wondered why there seemed to be zero buzz around it. Your response explains it. Bummer.
Carol wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "I was disappointed by Riku Onda's mystery Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight I liked the style, structure and imagery but the ideas behind it seemed rather thin, and ..."I thought that there'd be more reviews - given how popular her last book was in translation. Tbf there was a lot that I liked and, if the translation's accurate, she's obviously very talented in a lot of areas, so wouldn't put me off trying her work in future. But the plot just didn't carry me with it, and it fizzled out completely at the end. That may have been my issue but I'm not usually averse to unconventional structures, lack of resolution etc
Someday I'll find a used copy of Onda to read. In the meantime, there are many other books available.I started The Sharaku Murders yesterday. After 10 pages I was worried that I'd have a hard time keeping the cast of characters in mind, but fortunately that soon tapered off. Now at 40 pages I'm wondering when the murders will start... or if they already have. It's all art history so far. Not that I mind art history instead of murder. I am quite liking it.
The cover seems garishly unsuitable, the sort of thing you would see decades ago on any book having to do with Japan. I thought publishers had outgrown that.
An odd book, and not in a good way.It starts with a brief, off-screen apparent suicide. Then gives us 160 pages of art history. Then tries to put together a murder plot in the last 100 pages by bringing back in characters that have been ignored since the opening pages and constructing a murder mystery.
But it's just too late. My patience has worn too thin, and I've had enough of this book.
I finished Hiroko Yamada's novella Weasels in the Attic highly readable but more interesting than entirely satisfying.
I finished Hiromi Ito's The Thorn Puller an unusual perspective on women and caregiving in later life, which mingles poetry and prose with elements 'borrowed' from literature and mythology. Not always a likeable book but often a powerful one and an persuasive representation of what it's like to be one of the many invisible, middle-aged woman whose time and energy is taken up with the needs of older parents, partners, often still parenting themselves. Here that scenario is further complicated because the narrator is caught between her immediate family in California and her parents in Japan.
Started Becoming Modern Women last night. Chapter 1 was quite a slog through heavy academic prose that didn't say much, but chapter 2 was quite the opposite and very informative of a particular trend in Japanese literature in the 1910s and later.It's a short work (150 pages plus notes). Hopefully further chapters are more like chapter 2 than chapter 1.
I've just begun to read "The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino" by Hiromi Kawakami more accidentally as I am waiting for a book and have found this one in the library in the meantime. The name appeared somehow popular to me and so I decided to read it. I'm only at the beginning. It's the story of Mr. Nishino and his lovers throuout his live. I like the setting very much. The first chapter starts with his last love and the following with the first, so I guess at least. I'm looking forward to the following stories as I find it a wise point of view to look into a life from this perspective and what it has to tell.
Reading Women in Japanese Religions This is a chronological survey of Japanese history, mining it for references to women in Japanese religions. It's relatively brief (180 pages of main text) for how much history it wants to cover, so it doesn't cover any topic in detail.
I'm 1/3 of the way done and haven't come across anything I didn't know already. I think anyone who has read a reasonably detailed history of Japan will already know most of what's in this book. There is nothing particularly novel here.
I can't say for sure, but I doubt this book contains enough context for someone who hasn't read any general Japanese histories to get much out of it. So overall, I don't know who the intended audience for this book is.
The last two chapters (40 pages) on religion since WW2 contain quite a bit of information I hadn't seen before. It was worth reading the book, even if only for that.
I just got from my library "The Fall of Language in the Age of English" by Minai Mizumura. Also by her "An I-Novel." Anyone read these?
Tanya, I reviewed An I Novel for The Asian Review of Books. I really liked it! What did you think?https://asianreviewofbooks.com/conten...
Alison, I will read your review and finish the book, then report back. I am just transfixed by Japanese lit. A lot but not nearly enough is translated. I must try to learn the language.
I'm surprised at how much is available. I've tried 170 different Japanese authors, and have a list of another 80, all translated into English.What frustrates me, though, is how a lot of these are out of print, or how I can find an author I like and find that only a single novel of theirs has been translated.
As an example, Osaragi Jiro is so famous that he has a literary prize in Japan named after him. Yet only two of his novels were ever translated, and both are long out of print.
I’ll add, the ratio of women authors’ books vs male authors’ books available in translation is an abomination. The Japanese government funded immediately post-WWII, and still funds, via US and UK nonprofits, a fair number of translations, and hence the availability of certain works tilts the story toward a version of Japan that doesn’t represent it fully.
Carol,I went through my list, and of 240 Japanese authors in translation on my list, 88 are women.
Bill wrote: "Carol,I went through my list, and of 240 Japanese authors in translation on my list, 88 are women."
Fascinating: many thanks to Carol and Bill both for quantifying this profound imbalance.
Bill wrote: "Carol,I went through my list, and of 240 Japanese authors in translation on my list, 88 are women."
I’m surprised it’s not 10%+ worse, so I suppose gratefulness is in order. Thanks for the apt snapshot.
G.G. wrote: "Bill wrote: "Carol,I went through my list, and of 240 Japanese authors in translation on my list, 88 are women."
Fascinating: many thanks to Carol and Bill both for quantifying this profound imba..."
G.G., you’re no doubt closer to all of this data than the average casual reader. Is the percentage of translated fiction in print translated by women vs male translators approximately the same or more imbalanced?
Carol wrote: "G.G. wrote: "Bill wrote: "Carol,I went through my list, and of 240 Japanese authors in translation on my list, 88 are women."
Fascinating: many thanks to Carol and Bill both for quantifying this ..."
Good question! I've given away almost all of my translations of post 1900 Japanese literature, but a quick count of the translators in this list of women writers 900-1900:
https://www.gayerowley.com/teaching/w...
--which includes a number of unpublished PhD dissertations as well as joint translations (the McCulloughs, for example, as well as Arntzen and Itoh)--gives 35 men and 20 women. If works by male writers (think Saikaku, Bashō, Chikamatsu, Ōgai, Sōseki, Kafū) are included, the imbalance would be much greater. There's work to be done!
Ooh! Ooh! I worked on this recently! I even did a podcast episode about it in August.https://readjapaneseliterature.com/20...
In the last five years, the work of the activist, 3-women translator collective "Strong Women, Soft Power" + others has made a MASSIVE difference is the male versus female ratio in translation.
The last three years in particular, the ratios have been almost equal, which is a truly extraordinary feat.
SWSP have been pushing new work and older work. So far, they've been much more successful with contemporary fiction. They're working on it, though. New issues of Yuko Tsushima have been a positive development.
I also keep a list of what's available in English translation outside of academic journals, if it's helpful to anyone: https://readjapaneseliterature.com/a-....
Alison wrote: "Ooh! Ooh! I worked on this recently! I even did a podcast episode about it in August.https://readjapaneseliterature.com/20...
In the last five years, ..."
Brava!
I finished an ARC of Keigo Higashino's A Death in Tokyo, I've only ever read Malice which is part of the same series featuring Inspector Kaga. This is much more conventional than the first, which was slightly more contrived in terms of structure/style. But I much preferred it, and immediately ordered the previous book which has a similar feel. They're both set in Nihonbashi where Kaga now works homicide.I've reviewed it here or via the book page:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I enjoyed both Malice and Suspect X, and have A Death in Tokyo on my tbr. Wish they'd kept the original title (Wings of Kirin) though. Kaga also features in Shinzanmono (English title: Newcomer), though I felt the translation was a teeny bit stilted. Still, it was an interesting read.Suspect X features a different team of detectives + the physicist Yukawa. If you're interested in more Higashino, I also recommend his Journey under the Midnight Sun, very dense but absorbing read.
I'm currently slowly making my way through Bullet Train by Isaka Kotaro. None of the characters are very exciting at the moment, alas.
Marcia wrote: "Thanks for recommendation of Malice. You might like The Devotion of Suspect X by same author."Thanks and thanks J. My first Japanese title of the year didn't live up to my expectations Inio Asano's Solanin although there were a lot of things I liked about it.
Review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
or via the title page on GR
I'm continuing with my project of revisiting all of the Studio Ghibli films and that's working well though, so makes up for the disappointment. And looking forward to the new one later this year:
https://www.timeout.com/news/a-new-st...
I finished Jiro Taniguchi's graphic novel/slice-of-life manga A Journal Of My Father, an accomplished, moving piece that focuses on the split between a father and a son in post-WW2 Japan. TW: two dogs die in this one!Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I appreciated more than I enjoyed The Mill House Murders I loved the setting and the feel of the piece and the wonderfully grisly undercurrents but found it slightly one-dimensional and couldn't fully connect with the story or the characters
Hello everyone! I am currently reading Jay Rubin's anthology of Japanese short stories (which I am thoroughly enjoying) and was wondering if anyone would be able to direct me to more English translations of Abe Akira's work?
Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you in advance :)
This is where I keep track of authors’ work in translation, thought I’m working on an update. https://readjapaneseliterature.com/a-...
The only other place I see Abe in translation is a story in The Showa Anthology. No idea if it’s the same story or not—try looking at the toc on Google books?
Alison wrote: "This is where I keep track of authors’ work in translation, thought I’m working on an update. https://readjapaneseliterature.com/a-......"
Thanks a ton Alison! I really appreciate it. And you've accumulated a beautiful list :)
Hi Sonam, there are three Akira Abe stories in English translation that I know of: Friends in the Showa Anthology, Peaches in Contemporary Japanese Literature, and A Napping Cove in Japanese Literature Today volume 9.
Matt wrote: "Hi Sonam, there are three Akira Abe stories in English translation that I know of: Friends in the Showa Anthology, Peaches in Contemporary Japanese Literature, and A Napping Cove in Japanese Liter..."
thanks a ton Matt! I really appreciate the suggestions and will check out Friends and A Napping Cove soon :))
let me know if you manage to find A Napping Cove? I've never managed to track it down
Sonam Dechen wrote: "Matt wrote: "Hi Sonam, there are three Akira Abe stories in English translation that I know of: Friends in the Showa Anthology, Peaches in Contemporary Japanese Literature, and A Napping Cove in J..."
gladly :)
Matt wrote: "let me know if you manage to find A Napping Cove? I've never managed to track it down"Hey Matt! So I did manage to get my hands on 'A Napping Cove' from my uni's library and made a pdf copy of it. Do let me know how you'd like me to transfer it to you. Cheers!
I finished and loved Polly Barton's translation of Mieko Kanai's Mild Vertigo, I found it far more accessible and less cryptic than stories of hers I've read, The Word Book for example. She focuses on the everyday existence of a Tokyo housewife Natsumi in a way I found incredibly compelling.Review on the entry page:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished a collection of three, freshly translated stories by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, The Siren’s Lament: Essential Stories pieces originally published between 1910 and 1919. The central novella 'Killing T-Suya' made the strongest impression, it's the only realist entry and it's wonderfully vivid with a gripping plot, although the ending's rather abrupt. The other two entries are more like fables or fairy tales in terms of structure and the conventions deployed but all pit virtue against vice in the form of beautiful and potentially deadly women.Reviewed on the GR entry page or here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished a newly translated collection by Kaori Fujino Nails and Eyes the two stories here were well worth reading but I was particularly impressed by the title piece, a novella that won the Akutagawa Prize. An intense, disturbing and probing examination of gender and perception or self-deception.Link to review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Currently halfway through The Informer and liking that it keeps taking turns I don't expect. It's an older mystery from 1965, so film cameras and fingerprints are the height of technology. And that's okay!The cover looks like a still from a 1960s Japanese film, but I don't see any mention of this being made into a movie. Even parts of the plot remind me of the 1962 film Black Test Car.
Not specific to this book, I know, but some of my general peeves about older novels in English: referring to adult women as girls, and referring to women always by their given names and men always by their family names. I expect that both of these are in the original as well and are faithfully translated. So it's not just fiction in English that does it.
Or am I too sensitive?
Nice! I love mysteries but new to Japanese writers in the genre. If you have any other authors you'd recommend, I'd love to hear it!Alwynne wrote: "I finished an ARC of Keigo Higashino's A Death in Tokyo, I've only ever read Malice which is part of the same series featuring Inspector Kaga. This is much more conv..."
I'm not much of a mystery reader, but I have a few Japanese mysteries on my shelf.All She Was Worth by Miyabe Miyuki
The Hunter by Nonami Asa
The Togakushi Legend Murders by Uchida Yasuo
I have more that are sort-of mysteries, but I suspect you're looking for things strictly in the genre.
Japanese Literature
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I picked this one up without a lot of knowledge of it, because I'm short on places to buy manga these days. A lot of the sellers I knew really jacked up their prices at the start of the pandemic, and they haven't come back down yet.
I intend to read Heaven. I read All the Lovers in the Night recently with the group, and while it wasn't perfect it was enough for me to give the author another try.