Polly Barton's 'Fifty Sounds' is an excavation of language through onomatopoeia
Many readers may know Polly Barton better as the translator behind Aoko Matsuda’s “Where the Wild Ladies Are,” which won an English PEN award last year; and Kikuko Tsumura’s “There’s ...
Morgan Giles: ‘I’m astounded by the sense of community among literary translators’
The World of Translators series wraps up with Morgan Giles, whose first full-length work, Yu Miri’s “Tokyo Ueno Station,” won the National Book Award for translated literature in 2020.
‘Three Japanese Buddhist Monks’ explores the merits of reclusion
Penguin's latest addition to its “Great Ideas” series features three texts that delve into the evolving revelations of Japanese medieval Buddhist thought.
‘The Party and the People’ shows Chinese leadership as responsive but unaccountable to the public
In his new book, Bruce J. Dickson refers to contemporary Chinese politics as a study in nuanced contrasts: authoritarian yet cooperative; repressive yet responsive to public opinion.
A Chinese American gunslinger challenges the whiteness of Westerns
Tom Lin’s debut novel explores the lives of Chinese Americans and immigrants who have largely been omitted from the cultural history of the West.
'Prelude to Pearl Harbor': With diplomatic lines drawn and soft power spent, a standoff emerges
Author John Gripentrog looks at the events and attitudes that paved the way to the Second World War in “Prelude to Pearl Harbor: Ideology and Culture in US-Japan Relations 1914-1941.”
'Japanese Prints and the World of Go': Exploring the pop-cultural psyche of the Edo Period
Meme-like themes in ukiyo-e prints reveal the rich heritage of go in “Japanese Prints and the World of Go.”
Five nonfiction books about Japanese food to devour from cover to cover
In an age where the internet provides an abundance of information, to still be unaware of the varieties of Japanese cuisine could be seen as a form of self-exile from pleasure. While curating a list of the “best” nonfiction on the topic is certainly ...
Mieko Kawakami's 'Heaven': The world as seen through the eyes of bullied children
Mieko Kawakami examines violence and power in her latest English-language release.
Eric Carle, author of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’ dies at 91
When a fictional caterpillar chomps through one apple, two pears, three plums, four strawberries, five oranges, one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one ...
‘Things Remembered and Things Forgotten’: History, memory and cultural identity
Kyoko Nakajima’s latest collection of translated short stories explores the ties connecting Japan’s past to its present. Ghosts are involved in more ways than one.
Masatsugu Ono: ‘I always feel for those on the periphery of society’
Translator and Francophile Masatsugu Ono draws on stories of his hometown in Oita Prefecture to inform his writing.
