Big World

JAPANESE LITERATURE

04/14/2018,

“If you think of someone enough, you’re sure to meet them again”- Haruki Murakami.

We have spoken before about Japanese literature and about Japanese illustrator Shinsuke Yoshitake. Today I would like to recommend you two more books that will transport you immediately to Japan.

My first recommendation is Hôzuki by Aki Shimazaki. I would love to meet this author one day as her life seems fascinating: born in Japan, she moved to Canada, where she teaches Japanese and writes her novels in French. Hôzuki is a touching and calm novel about motherhood, love, books, and destiny. There are so much beauty and simplicity in this story and the way it unfolds! If you believe that there is an “invisible chain that connects us all accidentally,” then you are going to love this novel.

My second suggestion is the extraordinary trilogy of short tales by Japanese author Haruki Murakami and illustrated by German artist Kat Menschik. The trilogy includes “The strange library,” “Bakery attack” and “Dream” (Dream is the translation for “Sueño.”, I am afraid that I only have read the Spanish version, and I am not sure if Dream is the correct English reference to this short story).

The nightmarish stories, perfectly captured in the illustrations, are full of fantasy and imagination with tormented, mysterious, and lonely characters. It is a good introduction to the personal world of Murakami combined with the artistry of Kat Menschik.

The nightmarish stories, perfectly captured in the illustrations, are full of fantasy and imagination with tormented, mysterious, and lonely characters. It is a good introduction to the personal world of Murakami combined with the artistry of Kat Menschik.

Silence” by Shusaku Endo, one of the finest novelists of the 20th Century, is considered by many as a “masterpiece.” It is a compelling historical fiction that tells the story of two Portuguese missionaries that travel to Japan in the 17th Century, at a time when Christianity was outlawed and their presence was forbidden. (“From 1614 to 1640, it is estimated that between five thousand and six thousand Christians were killed“.)

“Silence” deals with complex themes such as physical and mental struggle, suffering, faith, tradition, modernity, and perhaps above all, the mystery of human life.

The edition, published by Picador Classic, includes a wonderful introduction by Martin Scorsese, who, after a 28-year journey- brought this acclaimed novel to life.

What other Japanese authors would you recommend?

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