Tag - authors

 
 

AUTHORS

“Butter” author Asako Yuzuki was inspired by the real-life story of Kanae Kijima, who was nicknamed the “Black Widow” and the “Konkatsu Killer” by the media for killing three men she dated to maintain her luxurious lifestyle of gourmet meals and a high-end cooking school.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 12, 2024
Asako Yuzuki's 'Butter' is a heady serving of food culture and feminism
The author's foodie femme fatale character was inspired by a real-life "black widow" case that caught the public's attention in 2009.
Clara Kumagai’s young adult debut, “Catfish Rolling,” follows a teenager who lost her mother during a major earthquake caused by the movements of a powerful catfish, which fractured Japan into different “time zones.”
CULTURE / Books
Jan 13, 2024
Genre-defying novel 'Catfish Rolling' navigates grief in a fractured land
Mixing folklore, science and philosophy with magical realism, Clara Kumagai’s impressive young adult debut explores the emotional aftermath of a powerful earthquake.
Steve Kemme's "The Outsider" offers insight into Lafcadio Hearn's prodigious talent with the pen and the development of his style over the course of his career.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 8, 2023
'The Outsider' brings out colorful personality of one of history’s great Japanophiles
A new biography on Lafcadio Hearn charts the course of the writer’s 54-year life and shows how his years in Cincinnati and Japan were formative periods.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jul 12, 2023
Czech novelist Milan Kundera dies at 94
Through his characteristic satire and poetic prose, Kundera had sought to express all that is compelling and absurd about life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 14, 2023
Cormac McCarthy, novelist of a darker America, is dead at 89
His characters were outsiders, like him. He lived quietly and determinately outside the literary mainstream.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 10, 2023
58% of Japan's illustrators and writers fearful of losing their jobs to AI
Japan's creatives say something must be done before AI wipes out their jobs for good.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 10, 2023
Ao Omae confronts identities and alienation of modern youth
The author deftly explores the struggles Japan’s young people face today with subtlety and incisive criticism in his English-language debut, “People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals Are Nice.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 28, 2023
The curious case of Fuminori Nakamura's genre misalignment
Little do English-language readers know, the author of 'The Rope Artist' and other critically acclaimed books writes on much more than crime.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 26, 2023
Jim Rion casts a keen eye on the spirit of Yamaguchi
Author, translator and certified sake professional Jim Rion puts people at the heart of sake production in his nonfiction debut, 'Discovering Yamaguchi Sake.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 19, 2023
'The Flowers of Buffoonery': Osamu Dazai's unexpected portrait of camaraderie
The novel adds new texture to the author's classic 'No Longer Human,' while bringing levity to a somewhat dire thesis: The world is full of inauthenticity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 12, 2023
Kazuo Ishiguro discusses remake of iconic Kurosawa film 'Ikiru'
In adapting a story about a Japanese official, the Nobel laureate had to dive into what it means to be British.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / OBITUARY
Jan 29, 2023
Angela Jeffs: The Japan Times columnist who taught us to ‘write the mind alive’
Angela Jeffs helped the international community make sense of Japan and our place in it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 13, 2023
Pico Iyer's search for peace in a world of uncertainty
The author reflects on his extensive travels over the past 48 years while examining conceptions of paradise in his new collection of essays, 'The Half Known Life.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 4, 2021
Creativity and collaboration flourish at the Japan Writers Conference
Being held online for its second year, the Japan Writers Conference helps budding artists with the practicalities of the creative process.
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
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 4, 2020
Japan Writers Conference and revival of Monkey magazine make for a literary October
Translated works from Japanese authors and original English-language writing has never been more plentiful or inspirational.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 9, 2019
Tackling writer's block at the Japan Writers Conference
Now in its 13th year, the Japan Writers Conference aims to provide a place for creative thinkers to meet their peers, learn a few tricks and get motivated to finally start on that novel.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Jun 22, 2019
'Backlight': All alone in the wilds of Hokkaido
Based on a real-life incident in which a 7-year-old boy was abandoned in the woods by his parents, 'Backlight' examines the search and rescue operation through a philosophical lens.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Jan 26, 2019
Androids, infertility and ethics collide in Kazufumi Shiraishi's dystopian 'Stand-in Companion'
Kazufumi Shiraishi's novella 'Stand-in Companion' offers an interesting male perspective on infertility, plumbing the frustrations of a childless couple and the self-accusation and unspoken blame that can eat away at a relationship.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 22, 2018
Red Circle Authors: Sending Japanese literature westward
Red Circle Authors is a 'home' for a group of established Japanese writers, helping to promote their work overseas while heightening awareness of the great depth and breadth of Japanese literature.

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