'An I-Novel': A tale of life abroad blurs the lines of truth and fiction
Many writers of fiction who have shared so much as a short story have heard the old question, “Is this autobiographical?” No literary genre, however, plays with the possibility of “what actually happened” as liberally as the Japanese shishо̄setsu, known to Western readers as ...
Japan's most exciting book releases in 2019
2019's impressive lineup of books on Japan, include classic reprints, new fiction and studies of the nation's international relations.
Ensuring women are not lost in translation
The literary arts are mainly solitary activities. Wordsmiths are, however, social animals and — the odd Pynchon aside — seek out the company of the rest of the species. This is one of the motivating factors behind the formation of a new collective, Strong Women, ...
'Inheritance From Mother': Tackling the taboo of caring for elderly parents
"Mother, when are you ever going to die?" Inheritance From Mother, by Minae Mizumura.447 pages OTHER PRESS, Fiction. The question is shocking indeed. But Mitsuki Hirayama, a teacher and translator of French and the heroine of Minae Mizumura's new novel, "Inheritance from Mother," dreams of the day ...
Why are Japanese women still bewitched by the Brontes?
Some years ago a sassy Osaka lady asked me to introduce her to the pleasures of Western literature. I duly handed her a variety of classic books, including "The Turn of the Screw," "Heart of Darkness," "Lolita" and "A Study in Scarlet." They were ...
Novelist Mizumura fights to arrest fall of Japanese literature
The abiding belief among some native English speakers in Japan is that Japanese people need to use more English instead of sheltering in the comfort of a mother tongue barely spoken beyond their archipelago. The Fall of Language in ...
