Japanese Literature discussion
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I am about to finish Cult X by fuminori nakamura. It has been a slogfest with terrible depiction of women as objects without agency. There’s a lot of rambling about state of the world, religion, atoms? Molecules? To be fair I hate rambling and overly describing imagery. (LOTR hater).
Sev wrote: "I am about to finish Cult X by fuminori nakamura. It has been a slogfest with terrible depiction of women as objects without agency. There’s a lot of rambling about state of the world, religion, at..."I am glad to read your comments on Cult X, Sev. I tried reading it previously & didn't get far; not sure I will be trying it again. I have read a couple of others by Fuminori (My Annihilation and The Gun). I feel like he has a very detached writing style. I really liked My Annihilation but more appreciated (than liked) The Gun. But, both were fairly dark/grim books.
Stacia wrote: "Sev wrote: "I am about to finish Cult X by fuminori nakamura. It has been a slogfest with terrible depiction of women as objects without agency. There’s a lot of rambling about state of the world, ..."Sev wrote: "I am about to finish Cult X by fuminori nakamura. It has been a slogfest with terrible depiction of women as objects without agency. There’s a lot of rambling about state of the world, religion, at..."
I do like Dark/grim books. Natso Kirino is my favorite author. However, Cult X was an extremely dark and perverse book with very shaky and poor explanation for atrocious acts. I am also getting fed up with blatant depiction of women as simply sexual objects. with that being said, I might check out author's thief book. Because I found his writing easy to read aside from rambling cult leaders part.
I'm reading Naomi (A Fool's Love - 痴人の愛) by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, one of the classic ero-guro-nansensu novelists. It's a really fascinating book. Coming at a time when Japan was modernizing, receiving Western influences, and becoming an empire, a time when "Modern Girls" and romantic love were new things, the narrator writes about how he begins grooming a 15-year-old girl whom he exoticizes and treats as a Westerner. As a writer of femdom erotica, I find the femdom undercurrents. There's a scene early on where Naomi rides Joji around like a horse. I did read the plot synopsis before I read the book--as I am researching about ero-guro--so I know what direction it's going to go--and I look forward to seeing how it gets there. You can start seeing certain dynamics taking hold from the second chapter or so.
Anyone else reading the new Yoko Ogawa book- Mina's Matchbox? I'm really enjoying it and I love the pygmy hippo! I found the chapter mentioning the Black September/Munich Massacre a bit lacking in nuance given the current state of the world. Maybe when it was originally published in 2006 it would seem more of an incidental mention rather than a political commentary?
I finished Saou Ichikawa's award-winning Hunchback impressive and insightful exploration of issues around disability, desire and representation, translated by Polly Barton. Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I want to read this for sure! Honestly, I never realized this was an issue in Japan. Moreover, the book sounds “deep”: as if it operates on the level of the psyche. That sounds intriguing in the context of Japan society.
Alwynne wrote: "I finished Saou Ichikawa's award-winning Hunchback impressive and insightful exploration of issues around disability, desire and representation, translated by Polly Barton. Link ..."
skimmed a bit of this last week, the writing style was very intriguing out the gate. waiting for this to come out on bunko, but i didn't realize it was already translated! the subject matter also makes me think of akutagawa nominee suzumi suzuki, who also seems to write from her perspective as a woman on the fringes of society.
Marcia wrote: "I want to read this for sure! Honestly, I never realized this was an issue in Japan. Moreover, the book sounds “deep”: as if it operates on the level of the psyche. That sounds intriguing in the co..."Definitely, it's also very distinctive, not sure if you'll enjoy it or not but it's certainly illuminating.
Vj wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "I finished Saou Ichikawa's award-winning Hunchback impressive and insightful exploration of issues around disability, desire and representation, translated by Polly..."I read an advance review copy so not yet published. Polly Barton seemed an apt choice of translator after her Porn: An Oral History Interesting you compare it to Suzuki, I have a review copy of Gifted so will definitely look out for similarities now!
I finished Sanaka Hiiragi's episodic The Lantern of Lost Memories an unusual blend of cosy and hard-hitting. I liked the inventive take on Japanese mythology and the insights into aspects of Japan's history and social problems.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If there are any librarians around there are two GR catalogue entries for this on GR which could do with merging.
Alwynne wrote: "I finished Saou Ichikawa's award-winning Hunchback impressive and insightful exploration of issues around disability, desire and representation, translated by Polly Barton. Link ..."
As always, thanks for posting the links to your thoughtful and excellent reviews. I have followed Saou Ichikawa in the news and have Hunchback on preorder.
Here is a short article about the award:
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/20...
You can set the video to auto translate to English.
And a longer profile interview with NHK:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ne...
Jack W wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "I finished Saou Ichikawa's award-winning Hunchback impressive and insightful exploration of issues around disability, desire and representation, translated by Polly..."Thanks Jack!
Just finished Musui's Story , which was a lot of fun. It starts slow, but don't give up! Once the action starts it continues all the way to the end.
I am reading this as part of my Japanese history thread:Meiji, 1868;: Revolution and counter-revolution in Japan by Paul Akamatsu, translated by MIRIAM KOCHAN.
also, I am rereading:
The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, Women of the Ancient Court of Japan
See: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/...
and
a lot of manga
Reading Pothos Lime Boat by Kikuko Tsumura (Boat Potosuraimu (Kodansha Bunko) (2011) ISBN: 4062769298 Japanese Import ). It's a real shame this hasn't been translated yet, despite winning the Akutagawa in 2008. Even though the height of hustle culture (which this book predates by a good decade) seems to have passed, the story still comes off as a timeless ode to 20 somethings trying to figure out adulthood. Hopefully Tsumura gets more translations, she seems to be very overlooked.
Just finished a rereading of Japanese Fairy Tales compiled by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1870 – 1932)An interesting biography is on Wikipedia : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yei_T...
I have enjoyed rereading this early translation collection of Japanese folktales. I can imagine storytellers reciting the tales to an audience or and elder retelling the tale to the children.
Later ~ 1930 these would be great kamashibai stories:
https://www.japansociety.org.uk/resou...
Watch Mio Shudo and Fergus McNichol with the Kamashibai Momotaro tale.
I am reading Meiji 1868: Revolution and Counter-Revolutionin Japan by Paul Akamatsu as my current history book. My historian friend is waiting for me to catch up to the First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) so that he can overwhelmed me again with history conversations. 😂I just started on our Oct 2024 book club selection but will hold off for a few days. I have both the text and audiobook version. It is pretty interesting and funny, a much easier read as compared to our September’s selection. However, I am still following up with that to learn a bit more about the history and context.
Currently reading This Scheming World . I'm not enjoying it as much as other Saikaku I've read.Firstly, it's mostly very short sketches of people (a page or less) ridiculing them for either being financially irresponsible or obsessively frugal. I would have appreciated more middle-of-the-road people in the mix.
Secondly, this translation has a copyright date of 1965, but feels even older. Some of the turns of phrase seem off, and too many Japanese words that wouldn't be translated these days are replaced with only moderately appropriate English equivalents.
I finished a novel by popular mystery writer Mai Mochizuki The Full Moon Coffee Shop which centres on a mystical coffee shop staffed by shape-shifting, talking cats. Very much in the 'healing fiction' category, this revolves around astrology as a tool for making life choices. I liked the writing, the depiction of Kyoto and elements of the plot, but I'm not into astrology in any way, shape or form, so that part of the story - which is quite substantial - left me cold. For readers who don't have that issue and like cosy stories then this is good of its kind.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Suzumi Suzuki's Gifted her debut novella from 2022. A haunting exploration of grief, impending loss, and a fraught relationship between mother and daughter.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Hisashi Kashiwai's The Restaurant of Lost Recipes the second in his hugely-popular series about food detectives in Kyoto. Light, entertaining with a slightly bittersweet flavour, recommended for anyone who loves to cook and is interested in Japan's food cultures.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Suggested in the Stars Yōko Tawada's sequel to Scattered All Over the Earth which raised an unexpected amount of questions, some stemming from the overall thrust of the narrative others to the representation of gender and of disability.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Was reading And Then by Soseki, but 100 pages in I found myself skimming and said "Why am I still reading this?"A 30-year-old layabout thinks he's a rebel (of sorts) for doing nothing with his life after getting out of university. He goes through convoluted self-justification for this that makes no sense to anyone else, and wouldn't make sense to him, either, if he thought it through objectively. His family is on his case to get married or do something with his life every time he goes to hit up his father or elder brother for spending money.
If there's any redeeming social commentary in here, it's lost on me.
I have just finished reading five Japanese short stories, if anyone interested - picking each from the following collections:1) Longing and Other Stories by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki;
2) The Paper Door & Other Stories by Naoya Shiga;
3) Ground Zero, Nagasaki: Stories by Yūichi Seirai;
4) The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories; and
5) Things Remembered and Things Forgotten by Kyōko Nakajima. Reviews on my goodreads page, and blog: https://thoughtsonpapyrus.com/2024/10...
All collections are worth reading, haven't found a weak spot.
I finished Yūko Tsushima's Wildcat Dome a complex, challenging piece that connects the treatment of the biracial children of American servicemen and Japanese women born just after WW2 with wider issues and rifts in Japanese society.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I recently finished She and Her Cat: Stories. A group of connected short stories that tell of different women and how their cats helped them through difficulties.I'm just starting Goodnight Tokyo.
Patricia wrote: "I recently finished She and Her Cat: Stories. A group of connected short stories that tell of different women and how their cats helped them through difficulties.I'm just starting ..."
What did you think about She and Her Cat: Stories?
Goodnight Tokyo is in my tbrs. pls let me know if you liked it. I might need to move it up the pile. Haydn Trowell, translator, also did High School DxD (silly light novel yes, but I liked it) among many others.
Goodnight Tokyo had a good review in Asian Review of Books last July: https://asianreviewofbooks.com/conten...
Alwynne wrote: "I finished Yūko Tsushima's Wildcat Dome a complex, challenging piece that connects the treatment of the biracial children of American servicemen and Japanese women born just after ..."Another solid review! I would like to read this when I get on post WWII history in Japan. Yūko Tsushima/Satoko Tsushima has an fascinating personal story and NYTimes called her "one of the most important Japanese writers of her generation" in their July 1988 review of her novel The Shooting Gallery.
I don't know if this is paywalled but the link is: https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/24/bo...
they wrote,
"Born in 1947, she is the daughter of the well-known novelist Osamu Dazai, who committed suicide in 1948. Not surprisingly, the recurring theme in Ms. Tsushima's work is that of abandonment: parents abandoning children; children abandoning parents; and, of course, parents abandoning each other. And in Japan, since abandonment carries a special onus - the victim, through perverse custom and inverse logic, is not only treated as damaged goods but is also expected to accept responsibility for his or her condition -Ms. Tsushima's stories evoke a special pathos and poignancy."
Diana wrote: "I have just finished reading five Japanese short stories, if anyone interested - picking each from the following collections:1) Longing and Other Stories by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki;
2) The Paper Door..."
Thank you for posting the link for your review of these short stories. After I read your reviews and the other older review of additional short stories on your site, I pulled my copy of The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories to read one that you reviewed. It was The House of Physics by Ogawa Yoko (pp. 202-216) What a fantastically good short story. I may have never got there without the review. Thanks much, r/Jack
Jack wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "I finished Yūko Tsushima's Wildcat Dome a complex, challenging piece that connects the treatment of the biracial children of American servicemen and Japanese women ..."Thanks Jack, thought The Shooting Gallery was a bit uneven, like most collections, but some great stories. I've read everything available in translation now, with the exception of Laughing Wolf which I'm hoping to get to soon-ish.
Jack wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I recently finished She and Her Cat: Stories. A group of connected short stories that tell of different women and how their cats helped them through difficulties.I..."
I did enjoy She & Her Cat. Kind of light, simple reading. I hope to get into Goodnight Tokyo more this weekend. Of course, it's short, so as long as I find the time should be a fairly quick read. I'll keep you posted.
Patricia wrote: "Jack wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I recently finished She and Her Cat: Stories. A group of connected short stories that tell of different women and how their cats helped them through di..."thanks! as you have time. :) jack!
Patricia wrote: "Jack wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I recently finished She and Her Cat: Stories. A group of connected short stories that tell of different women and how their cats helped them through di..."I really enjoyed She and Her Cat, wasn't as keen on Goodnight Tokyo, although if you like shows like Midnight Diner then you should be okay with it, as there are some similarities.
I finished a classic memoir by Mayumi Inaba Mornings With My Cat Mii But anyone expecting cute and cosy should be warned that a great deal of the book is taken up with accounts of Mii's decline, pain, and prolonged death - and Inaba struggling and often failing to work out how best to deal with these issues. I found it interesting for the questions it raised about animal welfare and relationships between humans and companion animals. Many of which remain relevant.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished up-and-coming author and enigmatic Youtuber Uketsu's Strange Pictures an enjoyable variation on a conventional murder mystery - the horror label's a bit misleading apart from the odd creepy scene this is essentially a crime novel. Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished prize-winning author Tomoka Shibasaki's A Hundred Years and a Day: 34 Stories acclaimed in Japan and now translated by Polly Barton. Covering just over a 100 pages, Shibasaki's stripped-back approach may not appeal to everyone but worked for me. The focus here is on exploring key themes all centred on the passing of time - memory, nostalgia, impermanence. Most are recognisably set in Japan, a few in other unnamed locations.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished Goodnight Tokyo. I did like it overall. A lot of characters to keep track of as this is considered "a collection of intersecting short stories" (according to the author). So, there are different characters in the beginning chapters and eventually, you see the connections. Usually, if I read a collection of short stories, I will read one and put it down for awhile. This proved to be too confusing for me with this one, so I tried to keep reading after I got into it more. 3 stars
Last night I started Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (for 'spooky season').This is one of those books (and one of those authors) that you inevitably keep seeing when you're interested in Japan/Japanese literature, but I have to confess I never really read up on its author or the book itself. The odd transcription (Kwaidan instead of Kaidan) also put me off. However, I spent a few days in Kumamoto earlier this month and visited Hearn's former residence (one of the few things to do in Kumamoto), and what an interesting person!
Also fascinating to read that, according to the introduction, Kwaidan in Japanese translation has been one of the most prominent collections of Japanese ghost stories in Japan itself and continues to be read to this day?
I usually have several books/manga/light novels going at the same time.Audiobook: Lonely Castle in the Mirror, by Mizuki Tsujimura
Novel(la): Pan, by Knut Hamsun ( this is for November in Norway - a different reading activity - thanks Emma!). I will be starting Mina’s Matchbox in a few days…
History: Meiji 1868: Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Japan, by Paul Akamatsu
J-Lit history: Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the Late Sixteenth Century, by Donald Keene
The history books take me months…
Manga is fleeting but I am reading the last volume of Homeland Dropout: The Time I Was Reincarnated as the Fourth Enchanter in the Entire World
Carola wrote: "Last night I started Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (for 'spooky season').This is one of those books (and one of those authors) that y..."
I enjoyed that book. Isaac Meyers had an early podcast on Hearn and the Kwaidan: https://sites.libsyn.com/43266/episod...
In the podcast episode Meyers reads the Snow Woman (Yukiona) from the collection.
I finished The Chibineko Kitchen aka The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen another in the recent spate of translations of 'healing' narratives.Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My current audiobook is Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yōko Ogawa. Published by Taunton Audio and narrated by Joanna Parker and Kaleo Griffith. It is an interesting short story collection so far.
..
Complete
Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales became better and better as I listened to the audiobook version of the text. I was to read the print version in the future because I think it will be just as good on a reread.
I finished Tetsuya Ayukawa's award-winning. vintage crime novel The Black Swan Mystery gripping blend of puzzle and sensitive social commentary, particularly interesting depiction of the impact of wartime deprivation and 1950s gender expectations on women's lives.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My current audiobook is The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa. I think it would have been less intense to read the printed book. It is a great story and a gripping narrative. I just need to limit how much I listen to a one time because of how much it impacts me.
Just finished The cat returns shrine. It's a collection of free jazz pianist Yosuke Yamashita's cat blog posts, with the central piece about the story of how the author unwittingly turned the local Azusamiten Shrine in Tachikawa into the eponymous 猫返し神社. would like to visit some day! (apparently the only recording of Yamashita playing a classic gogaku song Etenraku plays there)
I just finished "More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop." It was so good. Does anyone know if there's going to be a third book in this series?
Current Fiction and Audiobook: The Memory PoliceNon-Fiction: Lonely Planet Journeys: Lost Japan
Light Novels: Black Summoner Volume 1
Manga: too many
I competed The Memory Police audiobook. It was very good but I am still sorting out my impressions, reading through the 2019 group read discussion.My current audiobook is Set My Heart on Fire.
I wonder how the publishers match up eng translators for her works. This is Helen O’Horan. Hit Parade of Tears is Sam Bett, David Boyd, Helen O’Horan, and Daniel Joseph Sam Bett. Terminal Boredom is Sam Bett and Polly Barton.
Cindy Kay is the narrator of the Tantor Media audiobook that I am listening to. release date is 12 Nov 2024.
It feels immediate and also a time warp. The book was originally published 1983. Over 40 years ago. I wasn’t really young even then. It helps to know a good number of the music references.
It had a weird echo in the reading then I realized that part of the story sounded vaguely similar to another Suzuki story, It was “ “HEY, IT’S A LOVE PSYCHEDELIC!” From Hit Parade of Tears: Stories. What is the timeline? The short story was originally published in 1982 and Set My Heart on Fire was 1983.
I will go back and read the short story after finishing the novel.
(Completed novel 14 Dec 2024)
I am not sure I have any insightful comments on Set My Heart on Fire (ハートに火をつけて! だれが消す). I listened to the audiobook performance and read the text.
“Some things you only understand once you’ve tried living. By the time you understand them, it’s too late. That’s in fact the reason why – no, I don’t have the spirit to say that’s what makes life spectacular. If I had enough initiative for that, then I wouldn’t have gone through what I did. It feels like a punishment for my lack of courage. Even so, it’s excessively cruel. Way out of proportion. For now, I accept the absurdity.”
The titles of the chapters and the chapter contents have deep ties, although you need to know the song lyrics. The title is just a lead into the connection.
I liked her short stories better but that is because it is easier to have some distance reading them.
We should probably have an Izumi Suzuki group read or a discussion on her works.
Japanese Literature
Books mentioned in this topic
When the Museum Is Closed (other topics)Nan-Core (other topics)
Chieko, and Other Poems of Takamura Kotaro (other topics)
Chieko's Sky (other topics)
Tale of the Princess Kaguya Picture Book (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kotaro Takamura (other topics)Iori Kusano (other topics)
Fehu Kazuno (other topics)
David Guterson (other topics)
Donald Keene (other topics)
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I hadn't seen the comparison to Christie. The cover made it look like a comfort read—which it's clearly not. I'm pretty sure earlier publisher's copy I saw made it sound more high brow. Trowell normally translates more high-brow fiction, too. It honestly sounds almost like Morimi, without the random tengu. I wonder if the publisher didn't know how to position this one?