Discovering Japanese Literature 5/8

Jul 29, 20222 min read

The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library)

To do some errands (a bit urgent), I went back to Japan for about 10 days. It was for the first time in 1 and a half years. Had Tokyo...

Jul 28, 20221 min read

“Trinity, Trinity, Trinity” by Erika Kobayashi (translated by Brian Bergstrom)

Today, I attended a fantastic event hosted by Yuki featuring Erika Kobayashi and Brian Bergstrom. About a year ago, when I talked with...

Jun 9, 20221 min read

“Unforgettable People” by Doppo Kunikida

Doppo Kunikida is a renowned naturalist and romantic writer. When young, he was baptized as a Christian. He later participated in...

Jun 2, 20222 min read

“All Too Barbarian” by Yuko Tsushima

Yuko Tsushima was a writer who shed lights on minorities such as single mothers, indigenous peoples, and interracial children. In the...

May 31, 20221 min read

“Brother and Sister” by Saisei Muro

Saisei Muro was born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture. He started his literary career as a poet and later became a novelist. The story...

May 16, 20221 min read

“The Moon Over the Mountain” by Atsushi Nakajima

The new term started with the most representative work of Atsushi Nakajima, a genius writer. What makes his writing distinctive is his...

May 15, 20221 min read

“Confessions” by Kanae Minato

A stellar mystery. It was such a page-turner that I read it straight to the end in one-go. As the title suggests, this story begins with...

May 4, 20221 min read

“The Idiot” by Ango Sakaguchi

Yukio Mishima once said if Dazai Osamu is sweet sake, Sakaguchi Ango is vodka and gin. Indeed, his prose is brutally strong and...

Mar 16, 20221 min read

“Ryu” by Akira Higashiyama

“Ryu” (meaning flow) was written by Akira Higashiyama, who was born in Taiwan and grew up in Japan. It was awarded with the Naoki Prize...