Tag - japanese-literature

 
 

JAPANESE LITERATURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 1, 2022
New Monkey imprint broadens the reach of contemporary Japanese literature
Stone Bridge Press and Monkey magazine have joined forces to expand the literary landscape of Asian writings in translation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 31, 2020
Literary magazine Monkey serves up a full meal of delights
Monkey's inaugural volume features a who's who of contemporary Japanese literature, with a food theme to tie the contributions together.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2020
Japanese books to get you through a lockdown
With "staying in" now the new "going out," housebound activities have become officially the cool thing to do. But what if you’re stuck for a good book? Read on to see four of our critics’ top reads for an extended period of self-isolation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Nov 2, 2019
Our critics' favorite Japanese books of the decade
As 2020 approaches, The Japan Times' book reviewers look back at a decade of literature and their favorite and most impactful books written about Japan or by Japanese writers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Jun 15, 2019
Children's author Kenji Miyazawa: Fundamental to the modern form
Author and poet Kenji Miyazawa's fantastical worldbuilding, poignant text and progressive morals laid the foundations of modern Japanese children's literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Jun 8, 2019
'Modern Japanese Short Stories' review: A bridge between past and present
A classic introduction to the Japanese short story, 'Modern Japanese Short Stories' is a literary time capsule of postwar Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 22, 2018
Japan's pop culture and literature drive soft power
Anime, manga and Haruki Murakami may form an unlikely trinity, but outside of Japan they're responsible for filling Japanese Studies departments and sprawling convention halls with generations of the devoted.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 19, 2017
Ryunosuke Akutagawa: Writing in the shadows of Japan's literary giants
How a short but fruitful relationship with Natsume Soseki led to the most productive years of Akutagawa's tragic life.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Jan 1, 2015
Donald Keene reflects on 70-year Japan experience
My first visit to Japan was very short, only a week or so in December 1945. Three months earlier, while on the island of Guam, I had heard the broadcast by the Emperor announcing the end of the war. Soon afterward, I was sent from Guam to China to serve as an interpreter between the Americans and the Japanese military and civilians.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 27, 2014
Read up on books about books about Japan
Revving up the metabolism of culture with the pulse of new artistic voices, a good literary journal doesn't usually have much to do with profit — it's all about circulation. Japanese literary journals enjoy a healthy transmission here, thanks to the financial backing of big publishing firms. How do English literary journals fare?
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 17, 2014
Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai: Tales of the Weird and the Strange
While many overseas scholars are attracted to the retrained aesthetics of Japanese arts and letters, it was the country's wild and wooly folklore that captivated Zack Davisson, an American writer and translator. While pursuing his masters degree in Japanese studies Davisson immersed himself in the mysterious world of kaidan. These are not your horror ghost stories, but any story that has an element of the strange and unusual.
CULTURE / Books
May 19, 2013
Ranpo's novella of a desecrated grave continues to send shivers
There has long been a taste in Japan for the bizarre and abnormal. The experimental Taisho Era was no exception. A desire for sensory experience existed even in cinema. During a funeral scene, for example, an attendant might light sticks of incense in the theater, drawing the audience into the ritual.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 30, 2012
The wonderful worlds of 100 waka
The scene: England, Boxing Day 2012. The archetypical Carters are relaxing after a cold turkey lunch (with bread sauce) and are watching the Royal Family's latest sonnets being read on the goggle-box. Time for a game!
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 14, 2012
Literary awards run spectrum
When writer Shinya Tanaka won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize last month, he said, "I deserve this," paraphrasing U.S. actress Shirley MacLaine at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1984.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on