Details

ISBN-10: 024131190X
ISBN-13: 9780241311905
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publish Date: 07/14/2020
Dimensions: 7.70" L, 5.00" W, 1.10" H

The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories

Translated byJay Rubin
Editor: Jay Rubin
Notes by: Jay Rubin
Introduction by: Haruki Murakami

Paperback

Price: $18.00

Overview

A major new collection of Japanese short stories, many appearing in English for the first time, with an introduction by Haruki Murakami, author of Killing Commendatore

A Penguin Classics Hardcover

This fantastically varied and exciting collection celebrates the art of the Japanese short story, from its origins in the nineteenth century to the remarkable practitioners writing today. Edited by acclaimed translator Jay Rubin, who has himself freshly translated some of the stories, and with an introduction by Haruki Murakami, this book is a revelation.

Stories by writers already well known to English-language readers are included–like Tanizaki, Akutagawa, Murakami, Mishima, Kawabata, and Yoshimoto–as well as many surprising new finds. From Yuko Tsushima’s “Flames” to Yuten Sawanishi’s “Filling Up with Sugar” to Shin’ichi Hoshi’s “Shoulder-Top Secretary” to Banana Yoshimoto’s “Bee Honey,” The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories is filled with fear, charm, beauty, and comedy.

For more than seventy-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 2,000 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Reviews
"An exhilarating glimpse into Japanese literature." –Patti Smith, via Instagram

"One of my most treasured volumes." –Jeva Lange, The Week

"Assembled by longtime Haruki Murakami translator Jay Rubin (and blessed with an introduction by Murakami himself), this handsome 576-page tome is cleverly organized by theme rather than chronology, giving the book a stronger sense of cohesion than if it had started in the nineteenth century and ended with stories from today. . . . You might encounter a witch, or a devastating earthquake, or 'The Girl from Ipanema.' " –GQ, "The 17 Best Books of 2018"

"With everything from ritual suicides to cows with human faces, The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories is bizarre, exotic and memorably gory." –Daily Mail (London)

"Highly recommended." –The Spectator (London)

"A feast of literature . . . [It's] a literature lover's dream, page after page of memorable writing, stories that leave a lasting impression yet can be fully absorbed in one sitting. It's one anthology that will surely find a life outside the classroom, offering up the living, vital world of Japanese literature in all its diversity and with a true taste for excellence." –The Japan Times

"Superb . . . Impressive . . . A fascinating collection of short stories from all periods and from several authors who all too rarely make it into English translation . . . Offers a perfect balance of the classic, along with the unsettling and innovatively modern. All the traditional literary superstars are here, but there are also stories which resonate with contemporary experience. The result is a superb collection of diverse voices whose stories are both intellectually and emotionally rewarding." –PopMatters

"[An] excellent new collection . . . that pushes boundaries and makes some noise." –International Examiner

"Reading through this collection has been so fresh and interesting. . . . Now and then I'd be quite astounded at the different and strangely compelling ways the fiction of my own country could be grasped. . . . Unpredictably rewarding." –Haruki Murakami, from the Introduction

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Details

ISBN-10: 024131190X
ISBN-13: 9780241311905
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publish Date: 07/14/2020
Dimensions: 7.70" L, 5.00" W, 1.10" H
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