A smart and beautiful narration of friendship and togetherness but also about strangeness and otherness, amidst complicated nuances of race, intergeneA smart and beautiful narration of friendship and togetherness but also about strangeness and otherness, amidst complicated nuances of race, intergenerational strife and identity layers. Really love the author's style and look forward to reading more from her. ...more
It was a delight to read and it would probably be a delight to watch if it was ever made into a movie. Wholesome, feel-good plot and narration style wIt was a delight to read and it would probably be a delight to watch if it was ever made into a movie. Wholesome, feel-good plot and narration style while still deep enough to make it a compelling read. ...more
I like Murakami's fiction and have read several of his novels, so in this case, only the shift to non-fiction was new.
I'm not into running or sports mI like Murakami's fiction and have read several of his novels, so in this case, only the shift to non-fiction was new.
I'm not into running or sports myself, but it was interesting to read his notes on how he experienced it, and, of course, to read about other moments of his life (writing-related, mostly), in between running stories. I was glad to get a glimpse of the person behind the other books, and that running has helped him in other areas of his life as well (as it tends to happen for most runners, as I understand). It was touching to find Murakami, this famous and very reclusive author (I understand the reclusive part perfectly) has this in common with many other people. Our common humanity, as we could say. ...more
I tend to favor short stories over longer single pieces of fiction these days, especially if they connect in some way. The stories in this reader are I tend to favor short stories over longer single pieces of fiction these days, especially if they connect in some way. The stories in this reader are not connected and have different authors, but it's one of the best collections I've ever read! I loved them.
Of course, it helps that most of them are written by authors I had already read and belonged to my faves list. We have here Kobo Abe (the Kafka-inspired Japanese master of absurd) and Ryo Hanmura, and Morio Kita (all of them really worth reading independently), but also several less-known authors whom I was happy to discover.
Japanese literature, in general, had trouble becoming known in the West due to the translation process being more difficult for it than for other languages. What with the three different alphabet systems and whatnot. That's why we tend to have access to translated Japanese classics but not so much contemporary fiction.
With science fiction, the problem intensifies, since there are few translators willing to deal with that jargon, as well. :) That makes this collection even more of a rare gem than it already was. The stories are great, also, beyond all these translation considerations. ...more
Fast-paced, very vivid, and addressing a few somewhat repulsive themes head-on, Vibrator is meant to rattle the reader's sensibilities and it does it Fast-paced, very vivid, and addressing a few somewhat repulsive themes head-on, Vibrator is meant to rattle the reader's sensibilities and it does it well. The story goes into visceral detail about bulimia, eating disorders in general, over-drinking, reckless sexual behavior, and so on.
At the same time, the story and descriptions do not seem to be crafted solely for shock value. There is also a growing fostering of empathy for mental illness and the struggles of a very self-destructive woman, all delivered with a humane and occasionally funny voice....more
If this was just composed of Japanese folk tales retold, it would have been already worth reading and interesting enough. But Lovely, lovely, lovely!
If this was just composed of Japanese folk tales retold, it would have been already worth reading and interesting enough. But with the contemporary (mild) feminist twist to the stories, the collection becomes pure gold.
Body positivity, adventurous and nurturing models of femininity side by side, there's plenty to love in this beautiful collection of tales. A classic for (almost) all ages. ...more
A piece of non-fiction (historical research of an individual case) that is so beautifully written that it almost reads like fiction (in a good way).
I A piece of non-fiction (historical research of an individual case) that is so beautifully written that it almost reads like fiction (in a good way).
I liked this especially in relation to the author's later article on the #MeToo movement and the doubt we cast on victims coming forward (you can read it here: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2...). The gist of it is this: in the historical account of an Edo-period non-conforming woman (one who insists on retaining her independence and who travels alone to a big city), there is at one point a tale of sexual impropriety or assault. But because this information appears in her memoirs a long time after the event happened, the historian working on reconstructing her life initially doubted the story and thought that the Japanese lady is making it up in order to deter accusations of impropriety directed towards herself.
Later on, as she recounts in the Slate article linked above, she realizes she made the same mistake society and law enforcement sadly still make sometimes: she doubted the testimony of a victim just because she lacked the psychological understanding of how people process grief and trauma. Namely, the fact that people in some cases cannot verbalize what happened to them right away.
Beyond this foray into victim-blaming, the story itself is highly interesting for anyone who is fascinated with Japan, as it offers a first-person glimpse into the Japan of old, right before the moment when the Americans forced them to exit seclusion and open up their ports. The diary of Tsuneno is an incredibly vivid account of life in that time and place, and the magic performed by Amy Stanley on the manuscript will allow you to feel the full blast of that immersive power....more
The story was interestingly strange and occasionally beautiful and absurd, enough to count this book among ones I like.
But with this new book I read The story was interestingly strange and occasionally beautiful and absurd, enough to count this book among ones I like.
But with this new book I read of Murakami's, I finally realized what seemed 'off' about him and his writing since before. It was always something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but nevertheless there, and now I was able to see more clearly what it is: I don't like the way he writes women's characters, and I really don't like the way he writes sex scenes. It's not just a je-ne-sais-quoi that makes me feel like he objectifies his female characters, but it's also that sexual content is too frequent AND badly written. A bit meh. ...more
It was ok as a historical introduction, but maybe not so much on the anthropological side of things, the 'why' part of the samurai's peculiar and occaIt was ok as a historical introduction, but maybe not so much on the anthropological side of things, the 'why' part of the samurai's peculiar and occasionally disturbing ethos.
Still, it made for an interesting read, especially some of the material culture details (the sacred objects from the goddess Amaterasu allegedly still used as the crown jewels, etc.)...more
I am not studying Japanese but I liked this bilingual book of stories (complete with extra explanations and exercises following each story) a lot. EveI am not studying Japanese but I liked this bilingual book of stories (complete with extra explanations and exercises following each story) a lot. Even if I'm not planning on learning Japanese anytime soon, the linguistic glimpses offered on the side are cute and a great starting point for making further connections between words and concepts and languages and world views. You know how it is when you're faced with the particulars of a new tongue :).
As for the stories themselves, they were really nice (the first ones at least). They are handpicked to represent Japanese culture and presented sort of chronologically. Therefore, the first two ones are folk tales and the later ones are from classic literature, from older to newer. The newest ones are not really my cup of tea since they belong to a period of time when Japanese authors were influenced by a Kafkaesque sense of the absurd.
But the first stories are lovely!
The very first one, about a fisherman and a turtle, is a particular favorite of mine. It resembles a story from my own country's folklore a lot (it's called 'Tinerete fara batranete si viata fara de moarte', aka 'Youth without aging and life without death'). It's about finding a passageway to a fairyland-like place where everything is joyful and you enjoy yourself for a few years, and you are given the option to remain there and live forever. But because you miss your loved ones, you return only to discover that hundreds of years have passed in the 'real' world even if it was only a couple of month's time for you. While grieving and lost, Death or simply Time catches up with you too and you suddenly age and wither in just a glimpse of a moment.
This story (without the sad conclusion) also features in a video game inspired by Japanese lore: Okami. Check it out if you'd like, it's very cute. :)...more
The idea of a cat silently observing and judging human ways can never go wrong. Especially in the hands of a talented writer like Soseki.
The story ofThe idea of a cat silently observing and judging human ways can never go wrong. Especially in the hands of a talented writer like Soseki.
The story of the cat is, of course, just a pretext for the author to deliver his social observations of the Meiji era society with its inevitable hypocrisies, and impostures, the ridiculousness of upstarts and so on. The author's own scholarship in Western culture is highly visible throughout the story, as he references Western writers and ideas quite often. You can feel the expertise but none of his awkwardness around Western ideas.
The cat theme fades away after the first few chapters (the cat itself acknowledges this in a funny self-conscious way, saying that 'as I observe humans I am becoming more and more human myself). This is because Soseki never expected to add so much to the writing (it was initially just a chapter published as a pamphlet in a newspaper, and then the editor encouraged him to write another chapter, and another, etc.).
As for its tone, the book is decidedly funny at first, but in time the comic effect gets transformed into a bittersweet musing about human nature and society. I liked it more than his novels which were conceived as novels from the get-go (as those can be a bit too dedicated to a contemplative and elliptical spirit). ...more
Really nice collection of fairytales, although the curator's rather naive insistence of excluding anything bloody or violent or disturbing from this cReally nice collection of fairytales, although the curator's rather naive insistence of excluding anything bloody or violent or disturbing from this collected lore definitely left little room for maneuver (considering how Japanese lore tends to be).
But the result has a surprising dream-like quality, and this special vibe combined with all the references to Shinto gods makes the book reminiscent of the Okami video game. :)
It's not gory but not-yet-into-kawaii-sweetness-and-cutetsy territory, so I'm ready to embrace it as a collection of stories as close to the authentic as possible, even if a watered-down version of it. ...more
This was a delicious, funny, and extremely easy to read collection of short stories (especially considering its age, since writings which are several This was a delicious, funny, and extremely easy to read collection of short stories (especially considering its age, since writings which are several hundreds of years old can be stuffy).
It was interesting for me to discover a bit from the lore and values of the emerging Japanese middle class or bourgeoisie. I only read either modern, contemporary Japanese novels, or old ones imbued with values of tradition and of the warrior class (the path of Bushido). This collection of stories is a refreshing take on life, stemmed from the emerging merchant class which valued love and seizing the moment above notions of duty or tradition.
Of course, most of the characters are still punished for shunning tradition and following their hearts. After all, it's still the 1600s we're talking about. There's also a bit of sentimentalism and a naive conception of the unity of physical and emotional love (no distinction between them yet). But there's also humor, wit and a lot of compassion.
Another great detail is that the author took the scandals of his day as a starting point for all his stories. So, in a way, everything you read is true history, a bit embellished. His intimate knowledge of the art and theater world is also apparent.
As always with historical sources, you should really pay attention to the foreword and notes, as they can help you understand the text in its context. But don't worry, the modern-day notes surrounding the original text are just as entertaining as the stories themselves. ...more
Sorry, that person's shelf is private.
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