Japanese Literature

[Morwen]

I've been interested in Japan for a couple of years now. I intended to start reading Japanese literature a long time ago, but it's never come about. I've recently tried to trudge through Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood", but I didn't manage to finish it somehow. I found the book rather irritating. Anyway, I wouldn't like to give up. Can you recommend to me a good novel or a short story by a Japanese author. I'm looking forward to reading both classics and contemporaries. (^o^)/

[Turk]

Yasunari Kawabata, Junichiro Tanizaki. These are two Japanese writers i know beside Murakami. I don't know anyone else.

Edit: Oh you ask for stories; i can recommend Snow Country by Kawabata and The Key by Tanizaki. Though The Key wasn't good. Just read Snow Country, it's better and more interested with Japanese culture.

[Morwen]

Stories, novels, poems, authors - everything. (^_^) Thanks for the hints.

[Set of Keys]

Anything by Osamu Dazai is worth a go. 'Setting Sun' in particular is an astonishing piece of literature. Gut-clutchingly tragic dirge, and all the better for it.

Poor guy jumped off a dam eventually.

[Mrs. Dalloway]

What about Kazuo Ishiguro?

[NickAdams]

I read some of Murakami's stories from the elephant vanishes: horrible.

[Morwen]

I read some of Murakami's stories from the elephant vanishes: horrible.

I think that with Murakami it is that you either love him or hate him. Or maybe his writings aren't as Japanese as everyone expects. I don't know. (0_o)

[NickAdams]

I think that with Murakami it is that you either love him or hate him. Or maybe his writings aren't as Japanese as everyone expects. I don't know. (0_o)

I will eventually give one of his novels a go- Kafka on the Shore or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. I know what I read was from his early stuff, which even he dislikes. We'll see.

[Aiculík]

I higly recommend Kafka on the Shore. I'm reading it now and I love it. It is easy to read (It's exams period so I only have time to read ficiton in the bus on my way to work - about 20 minutes every day and in four days I read 200 pages), but not easy to understand... full of little mysteries, riddles and symbols... with bizzare and yet believable characters...

I've already read his novel Wild Sheep Chase and it was good, too, but I like Kafka much much more.

[Moira]

What about Kazuo Ishiguro?

The Remains of the day
A Pale view of Hills

Both of them just great.:thumbs_up

The Unconsoled ..... so and so .... maybe i should give it another try.

You said you were interested in Japan ..... the author is a British novelist of Japanese descent so i wasn't helpful, the novels The Remains of the day and The Unconsoled i mentioned have nothing to do with Japan.

A Pale view of Hills does though ......
An Artist of the Floating World is set in Ishiguro's home town of Nagasaki .... maybe that will do. I haven't read this one though.

[Morwen]

You said you were interested in Japan ..... the author is a British novelist of Japanese descent so i wasn't helpful, the novels The Remains of the day and The Unconsoled i mentioned have nothing to do with Japan.

The thing is I would like to read authors and novels characteristic of Japanese literature. However, if the books you mention are worth reading, then why not give them a try. (^_^)

By the way, what do you all think of "The Tale of Genji". Is it worthwhile? Has anyone read it? Which translation do you recommend?

[Geoffrey]

I will eventually give one of his novels a go- Kafka on the Shore or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. I know what I read was from his early stuff, which even he dislikes. We'll see.

And I'll go ahead and STRONGLY recommend The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. Having just finished it for the second time, I continue to find the story extremely imaginative, enticing, and interactive. It is surely not a book that bores the reader, but rather one that pulls them deep into the world and mind of an extremely interesting, and peculiar character.
I will say that I wasn't reading the novel because it was Japanese, but for the awesome story - so I can't say whether or not it is a complete or strong depiction of Japenese culture, just that it's a great story.

[Geoffrey]

By the way, what do you all think of "The Tale of Genji". Is it worthwhile? Has anyone read it? Which translation do you recommend?

I got this book from my library once about a year ago and only read half of it. The story, or what I read of it, just seemed very bland and unflavored to me- I just didn't find the story so interesting or creative. I can't even remember the translator, sorry.

[Brigitte]

I'll just add a +1 to Yasunari Kawabata.
And, I also loved Yukio Mishima's The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.

I did a research project on these two, and turns out they were friends. :]

[Babbalanja]

And I'll go ahead and STRONGLY recommend The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. Having just finished it for the second time, I continue to find the story extremely imaginative, enticing, and interactive. It is surely not a book that bores the reader, but rather one that pulls them deep into the world and mind of an extremely interesting, and peculiar character.I must say that, aside from a deliciously gruesome WWII flashback, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was very tame. I had heard great things about Murakami and was disappointed.

I much prefer Kobo Abe's strange satires. People always rally around Woman In the Dunes, that wonderfully surreal allegory for marriage and domesticity. However, I favor The Ruined Map, about a detective undertaking a comically misguided missing-person case and discovering the truth about identity and the fluidity of social roles.

[Morwen]

I had heard great things about Murakami and was disappointed.

The same's here. Everybody's been talking me into reading him and I eventually ended up sweating over his "Norwegian Wood".

What about the classics? Do you know any? What's the best one you've read?

[Theshizznigg]

Sadly I don't have a vast literary library when it comes to Japanese books. A series that does win my recommendation is Vampire Hunter D. All of the books in the D series are surprisingly well thought out, and well written. The anime tends to be less descriptive, and cuts corners. Its written by one of Japan's top horror novelist, though his name escapes me at the moment.
If you like occult/mystery/vampire novels then this is really worthwhile. As it is, the works stand alone, as a good solid series.

[Stieg]

I haven't read much Japanese literature actually but highly recommend Battle Royale by Koushun Takami and Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. Both great particularly the former.

EDIT: I have been meaning to pick up the Edogawa Rampo (translated means Edgar Poe I believe) story collections but something always knocks it back down when purchasing books. Limited funds. Grrr!

[Scharphedin2]

This is a topic that I could go on about for a few pages. I love Japanese literature, and only wish that much more was available.

Tanizaki, Kawabata and Dazai have already been mentioned, and they are all wonderful authors, and all (from what I understand) very "Japanese." The Makioka Sisters by Tanizaki is excellent, although you may want to ease into things with some of the shorter works like The Key or Some Prefer Nettles. All the works that I have read by Kawabata have been great. Snow Country is probably the loveliest, The Master of Go is very Japanese for its subject alone (a standoff between two masters of the Japanese game Go). Dazai's works are not that readily available -- I have only found The Setting Sun and No Longer Human, but a fascinating author -- very romantic, and cherished especially by female audiences. He threw himself of a dam, but it belongs to the story that he shared his death with a mistress -- it was a double-love-suicide. Somewhere in my library, I also have a number of short stories that can be found in different anthologies.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa has not been mentioned yet. He wrote only short works, and can best be described as a kind of Japanese cross between Poe and H.C. Anderson, but with a style all his own. He was extremely well read in both Western and classical literature, and his stories were compressed re-imaginings of clusters of stories that he knew from different cultures.

Kobo Abe is definitely a literary forefather to Murakami. Woman In the Dunes, The Ruined Map, The Face of Another, Secret Rendezvous, and his early short stories are particularly good. The later novels are not as exhilirating.

Soseki Natsume is another very excellent author, who is much admired in Japan, but not very available in English translation. Kokoro and the Three-Cornered World are both excellent.

Kenzaburo Oe is still amongst us, and many of his works are available in translation. I have read many of his books, the ones that come to mind are The Silent Cry, Nip the Buds Shoot the Kids and Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness.

Then there is Shusaku Endo, whose style I think is more western and more academic. The Samurai was very good, the other couple of books that I have read escape me at the moment. Many of his works are in translation, but he is probably the one that has left least impression on me personally, so have not pursued him as vigorously as the authors mentioned above.

Mishima has also been mentioned, and personally I cannot recommend him enough, although I know that opinions are very divided. He was the very anti-thesis of political correctness. He was an exhibitionist, right winger, homosexual, and most importantly an actor on the stage of life. He was also an amazing author. Golden Pavillion is a key work, but necessitates fairly deep understanding of Japanese/Buddhist values for maximum appreciation. He wrote incessantly, and a large amount of his work is available in English translation: The Sound of Waves may be the most neutral place to start, and a very Japanese story, beautifully and sparingly written. His short stories are mostly very good, and give a good overview of the author's catalogue of passions and concerns -- several volumes are available, Acts of Worship may be the best. Books like the novella Patriotism and Confessions of a Mask are very intimate works, and will tell you much about the author (or at least how he would like to be perceived). His take on the Hagakure (Samurai code) is fascinating reading, as is the more polemical Sun and Steel -- for those interested in understanding the latter stages of the author's life. Finally there is the tour-de-force tetralogy -- The Sea of Fertility. One of the most impressive works of literature I have personally read. I wonder, if Mishima had been less controversial, and had not chosen to die at his own hand and espouse right-wing ideals, would this (series of) book(s) have placed him in the first rank of twentieth century writers?

Several books have been written on Mishima -- by Henry Scott-Stokes and John Nathan most notably, and the story of this author's life is almost the equal of his fiction.

This is of course only the top of the iceberg... I would be interseted to read recommendations from more forum members with reading knowledge of more contemporary Japanese authors, as well as some of the "classical" ones not already mentioned. Maybe I will post later with a few more that I haver read.

Tale of Genji I have not read, and I cannot imagine starting a reading of Japanese literature with this work, unless one has a strong literary/academic background. It is a 1000+ page medieval work. Absolutely key to Japanese culture, but a little bit like beginning one's appreciation of English literature by reading Beowulf, not once, but twenty times. I own the book, and hopefully will read it at a time of greater tranquility in my life. However, there is so much wonderful Japanese literature out there, so why not begin with something a little lighter. Just my opinion.

[Stieg]

It's nice to have someone well read in one country's literature makes a nice reference. Have noted Kobe Abe (have the Teshigahara Eureka/BFI DVDs) and Ryonosuke Akutagawa.

And another issue is good translations too, for instance the author of Parasite Eve whose name escapes me has a poor English translation.

More books I have considered are Koji Suzuki's novels though they are quite different than the Hideo Nakata films, far more involving and not nearly as chill/scare oriented. And Yusuke Kishi's The Crimson Labyrinth might be really good despite it's outward similarities to Battle Royale.

[Eeyore]

Wow, I wish I would have noticed this thread earlier! I wrote my thesis on Japanese literature, from the classics "Heike Monogatari" to the modern classics "Confessions of a Mask", "Snow Country", and "A Personal Matter". To start out I would recommend anything by Yukio Mishima or Akutugawa Ryunosuke. If you enjoy their work (even if you didn't) I would recommend Kenzaburo Oe, and Haruki Murakami. As far as classics go I would recommend the Heike Monogatari, Genji Monogatari (penguin edition), Musashi, Taiko, and the Haiku of Basho. "In Praise of Shadows" by Junichiro Tanizaki is a good overall primer to Japanese literature and aesthetic in general. Hope this helps.

~Austin

[Morwen]

I've written down all the authors and titles mentioned here and it turned out to be quite a list. Now I only need to get those books. Thus my question: Do you know any websites with e-books? Maybe you've got some e-books to share? ^-_-^

[Scharphedin2]

And another issue is good translations too, for instance the author of Parasite Eve whose name escapes me has a poor English translation.

This is quite an issue, and one where I have simply surrendered to the state of the world so to speak. Japanese is a much more complex language to translate due to the Japanese characters carrying multiple meanings, and communicating on several levels at the same time (visually, aurally and literally). Generally, I have always been impressed with how well the Japanese authors "read" in English, so my feeling is that the translators must be very good. But then of course, I really have no way of knowing...

Some translators that I know to have a reputation for being very good (and many of the books listed in my post above are translated by these people) are: Ivan Morris, Donald Keane, Edward Seidenstecker, Howard Hibbett and John Nathan.

Keane also wrote several books on his life in Japan, and about Japanese literature and authors that he befriended through his activities as translator. I do not remember any of the titles, but I went through several very interesting books by him, back when I lived in the States.

Hope this helps.

Morwen -- sorry, don't know anything about online books. I hunted many of the books listed down in small used bookstores, while living in Chicago. Most of them I purchased at $5-10 a piece, which was a lot of money for me at the time, and in many cases opted for books over food -- not a healthy choice short term, but I feel that it has paid off in the long run ;) If this is in any way an option for you, go with hard copy editions of the books, and make the search for the books part of the experience and pleasure of reading the books...

[Bii]

Well, in contrast to many of the posts here I love Murakami, although I must admit Norweigan Wood is not my favourite. For something a bit easier going you might try "A Wild Sheep Chase", "Dance, Dance, Dance" (follow up to A Wild Sheep Chase). The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is excellent but it took me a little while to get into. My personal fave is "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World".

Other than Murakami you could try Banana Yashimoto - I've started reading "Asleep" which is pretty good so far, albeit that I think typically that Japanese writing tends to be a little on the slow and reflective side, but that's just my experience. If you want to go gruesome you could read anything by Ryu Murakami - I've read "In the Miso Soup" which, in parts, made me feel physically sick. Great if you like that kind of thing! There's also Taichi Yamada who, again, falls into the slow and reflective model.

Noted the recommendation for Kobo Abe - I'll be checking that out.

[Scharphedin2]

Well, in contrast to many of the posts here I love Murakami, although I must admit Norweigan Wood is not my favourite. For something a bit easier going you might try "A Wild Sheep Chase", "Dance, Dance, Dance" (follow up to A Wild Sheep Chase). The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is excellent but it took me a little while to get into. My personal fave is "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World".

Other than Murakami you could try Banana Yashimoto - I've started reading "Asleep" which is pretty good so far, albeit that I think typically that Japanese writing tends to be a little on the slow and reflective side, but that's just my experience. If you want to go gruesome you could read anything by Ryu Murakami - I've read "In the Miso Soup" which, in parts, made me feel physically sick. Great if you like that kind of thing! There's also Taichi Yamada who, again, falls into the slow and reflective model.

Noted the recommendation for Kobo Abe - I'll be checking that out.

I agree. I am also a little puzzled by the lack of enthusiasm for Murakami. My impression was that he was everyone's cup of tee these days. I also agree that Norwegian Wood is underwhelming coming from the latter novels Kafka and Wind-up Bird, or the earlier splendid Wonderland. However, there were parts of Norwegian Wood that rang my bell of nostalgia for my own college days. All things considered, I thought he captured the emotional life of someone in his late teens quite well. In any event, whichever of his books one personally prefers, I do think he is a wonderful author, who is quite worthy of the popularity he enjoys.

Bii -- definitely check out Abe. His books are fruits of the same tree that bore such authors as Beckett and Kafka, but his stories are more modern, and distinctly his own. If you find yourself really abe, the films he helped produce of his early books with film director Hiroshi Teshigahara in the sixties are excellent in their own right. Woman in the Dunes and Face of Another are already out as mentioned earlier in the thread from BFI and Masters of Cinema in the UK. Later this summer, the Rolls Royce of all DVD labels -- Criterion -- will be releasing a whole box of Teshigahara's films.

[Bii]

Just ordered Woman and the Dunes, and Kangaroo Notebook : A Novel. Another two to add to the growing pile of books to read :D

[Eeyore]

"Dawn to the West" offers a great panorama of Japanese literature. Keene doesn't get into many modern authors like Oe, Ishiguro, Abe, or Murakami (Ryu or Haruki). "Woman in the Dunes" is a great book. I would also recommend "The Ruined Map".

[Bartholomew]

I read Norwegian Wood last fall or spring and wasn't irritated by it in the least. It seemed like standard fare modern Japanese narrative; almost something you'd see in a more serious manga series, but I'm not sure from where irritation may stem. I've got The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle on my shelf, though I'm not too pressed to read it immediately.

[Scharphedin2]

Woman in the Dunes and Face of Another are already out as mentioned earlier in the thread from BFI and Masters of Cinema in the UK. Later this summer, the Rolls Royce of all DVD labels -- Criterion -- will be releasing a whole box of Teshigahara's films.


Here is an advance review (http://www.dreamlogic.net/archives/pitfall-dvd-review-criterions-three-films-by-hiroshi-teshigaraha) of the upcoming release in the States of several Abe/Teshigahara films by the Criterion Collection.

As mentioned above, both Pitfall and The Face of Another have been available in the UK for a while from the elite DVD label Masters of Cinema. These editions include very nice booklets and commentary by Japanese film scholar Tony Rayns (if I remember correctly). Woman In the Dunes was released last Christmas by the British Film Institute (BFI) on DVD in its original longer cut, but without any extra materials.

The set from Criterion will include all three of these films, along with booklets, a series of documentary short films (that have no relation to Abe), and a number of other contextual extra materials.

As films go, they are the equals of the Abe's original novels. Highly recommended in any of these editions.

[Dark Star]

I'm also going to recommend Yukio Mishima!

Mind you, I've only read a few chapters (in translation) of The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea at this point (in a three book compilation volume containing that along with Confessions of the Mask and The Golden Pavillion), however, I've heard his work come very highly recommended from some respected sources. Looks like I'll be checking out some stuff from here and adding quite a bit to my Amazon wish list tonight... :D

[Dark Star]

and in many cases opted for books over food -- not a healthy choice short term, but I feel that it has paid off in the long run ;)

It's good to see that I'm not the only one who does this!:D

Great list of recommendations, too.

[Cassiel240]

Sorry - I know this is an old thread, but I've got a minor obsession with Japanese literature and I can't believe no one mentioned Fumiko Enchi!
The first book I read by her was "Masks," which is a pretty fascinating as well as chilling read.
For Genji I recommend Seidensticker's translation, and if you've never read any of it get the shorter version - the whole version might be considered a bit tedious if you're reading for pleasure over scholarly purposes.
And I must second Soseki Natsume and Yasunari Kawabata, though for the latter I recommend "Thousand Cranes" over snow country.
For help understanding Japanese aesthetics, Donald Keane's "The Pleasures of Japanese Literature" is very useful.

[Dark Star]

I actually picked up and read Snow Country, my first 'real' experience with Japanese literature (not counting three chapters of Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea). I'll admit, I broke the cardinal rule (based on the Amazon reviews) of that work and tore through it in two days rather than giving it a nice, slow reading..but what can I say? I had library books to get to and the book really drew me in. Excellent work although I get the feeling that it's like a fine Beethoven work...it will improve with time and experience with similar material. :D

[rgdmalaysia]

Great to find this thread....I love Japanese Literature!

I would rank Kawabata as second (behind Knut Hamsun) on my favorite author list....I see a lot of postings on Snow Country here and it is an excellent book but to me The Lake and A Thousand Cranes are his best works.

In particular, The Lake is one of the most disturbing novels I've ever read and the character of Gimpei the sexually perverse, impulse driven ex-schoolteacher, is like no other protagonist I've ever come across.

Kawabata's is so deft with his lyrical style that he is able to handle the most tragic situations in a light and airy way.

Junichiro Tanizaki is also great....I read that he modeled The Makioka Sisters on the Brothers Karamazov but it is a greater book IMO. Tanizaki really creates flesh and blood charcters out of all the Makioka sisters. I really like Quicksand and Some Prefer Nettles too.

I agree with a lot of the postings on Osamu Dazai....But one should not be distracted or scared off by his tragic story, he really is a superb writer skillful at juggling the ridiculous and the tragic....I slightly prefer the autobiographical No Longer Human to The Setting Sun(but both are brilliant IMO).

Floating Clouds by Hayashi Fumiko and Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse are other Japanese lit works I enjoyed.

I must admit I don't care much for Murakami but I do like Kobo Abe....I don't see much similiarity between them except they are both surrealists...Abe's books tend to have more of a point and are much more clearly written IMO. My favorite is The Box Man.

I like Kenzaburo Oe too but it seems like a lot of his books repeat the same theme over and over again (especially that of having a mentally disabled child) and it gets a bit boring.

[Old Crow]

Can't believe I didn't see this thread before. I've only recently discovered Japanese literature. I've read "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle", which was an impressive effort even if it didn't manage to live up to the master-works of Kobo Abe, Murakami's most overt influence.

So now I know where I'll be looking for recomendations.

[Morwen]

Thanks all for not forgetting my thread. (*o*)


Great to find this thread....I love Japanese Literature!

I must admit I don't care much for Murakami but I do like Kobo Abe....

It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one who isn't thrilled at the sound of Murakami's name. (-_^) I had all the good intentions to finish Norwegian Wood, but it obviously wasn't as fascinating as I thought it would be.

rdgmalaysia, thanks for your recommendations. Maybe my adventure with Japanese literature isn't over yet. (^_^)

[rgdmalaysia]

Thanks all for not forgetting my thread. (*o*)




rdgmalaysia, thanks for your recommendations. Maybe my adventure with Japanese literature isn't over yet. (^_^)

Your welcome!....My adventure is still continuing as well....Fumiko Enchi is a writer I am currently looking for books by.

In answer to your earlier query about where to find Japanese Lit at cheaper price, I've bought a few books on E-Bay over the years (although not recently). You might try there.

[Virgil]

I higly recommend Kafka on the Shore. I'm reading it now and I love it. It is easy to read (It's exams period so I only have time to read ficiton in the bus on my way to work - about 20 minutes every day and in four days I read 200 pages), but not easy to understand... full of little mysteries, riddles and symbols... with bizzare and yet believable characters...

I've already read his novel Wild Sheep Chase and it was good, too, but I like Kafka much much more.

I just bought that book and hope to read it soon. I've also heard it is good. Actually I'm hoping it's the book club read when we get to Japanese author sometime in 2008.

[Etienne]

I just bought that book and hope to read it soon. I've also heard it is good. Actually I'm hoping it's the book club read when we get to Japanese author sometime in 2008.

I'd like if you post some review or feedback when you read it, I've seen this author on the shelves a couples of time but I've always been doubtful.

[NickAdams]

I just bought that book and hope to read it soon. I've also heard it is good. Actually I'm hoping it's the book club read when we get to Japanese author sometime in 2008.

I would have been behind you a year ago, but after reading his short stories I have put Murakami on the bottom of my list.

[rgdmalaysia]

Just finished "A Dark Night's Passing" by Shaoya Niga

A very enjoyable read from a guy known as the founder of the "I" sub-genre of Pre WW II Japanese Lit....Niga runs his life under the microscope and spits out the results in tight prose but not too tight that he can't meander occasionally into musings on man's place in the world.

Not sure how much of this is true....The forward states he made up a number of details (including his grandfather on his father's side being his real father)

I don't think he is quite as lyrical as Kawabata (whom I read he had a big influence on) and he is of course more of a realist than many modern Japanese writers but a very good read nonetheless at least from a technical point of view....he is a superb writer and Edward Maclellan's translation is very good.

Recomended for any fans of Japanese Lit who haven't come across Niga before.

[pussnboots]

I higly recommend Kafka on the Shore. I'm reading it now and I love it. It is easy to read (It's exams period so I only have time to read ficiton in the bus on my way to work - about 20 minutes every day and in four days I read 200 pages), but not easy to understand... full of little mysteries, riddles and symbols... with bizzare and yet believable characters...

I've already read his novel Wild Sheep Chase and it was good, too, but I like Kafka much much more.

I am currently reading Kafka on The Shore and glad to hear I am not the only one who doesn't fully understand the book.
Its an enjoyable read but when I try to analyze it. I am lost. I am on chapter 34 so I am almost done with it.
All the characters are interesting and it keeps you wanting to read more. Once I am done I guess I'll have to reread it to see if I understand it better.

[Tersely]

The Tale of Genji is going to be my Intro to Japanese Literature. Hopefully I'll like it..its huge but I'm going to take my time with it and really try to digest. I hear nothing but good things from it.

[Morwen]

The Tale of Genji is going to be my Intro to Japanese Literature. Hopefully I'll like it..its huge but I'm going to take my time with it and really try to digest. I hear nothing but good things from it.

As soon as you finish the book, tell us how you liked it. There was a time when I wanted to read it, but somehow I haven't got round to it yet.

I started a new thread about literature about geisha. I've got a craving for a good geisha book. :D Can you recommend something or possibly comment on those titles you didn't like? My new thread is here (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32408), but you can also answer in this one. I'd appreciate any comments. Thanks. :p

[Nikolai Fomich]

A good introduction to Japanese Literature is Donald Keene's two-volume "Anthology of Japanese Literature." (Aptly named, no?)
Volume One covers the Ancient Period (anything before 794AD) to 1868
Volume Two (which I don't actually own) covers everything after 1868 until the mid-50s or 60s (when the second volume was published)

My recommendations? Well, definitely the Man'yoshu (AKA Collection of a Thousand Leaves). It's a collection of poetry from earlier times, and is very different from later Japanese poetry (haiku, tanka, kanshi/Chinese imitations), which was more refined (refined as in its aim was to perfect its wordplay, its sound, and its utilization of whatever poetic form it employed)

The Man'yoshu was completely different, as it dealt with emotions and conflicts which later Japanese poets uniformly avoided (that is - and this is just an educated guess - until Western Influence in the 1860s). My favorite poets include Kakinomoto Hitomaro (whose connected poems involving the death of the narrator's wife were quite touching) and Yamsnoue Okura (whose moving poetry includes themes like the death of the narrator's son, poverty, and hardship)

The next interesting bit was an exert from Shorai Mokuroku, by Kukai (AKA Kobo Daishi). Kukai was the most important religious leader of the time (8th/9th cent/Heian Period) and the Shorai Mokuroku is his journal. It’s very interesting but I wouldn’t say extraordinary.

Ise Monogatari (or The Tales of Ise), however, is amazing. It’s by poet Ariwara no Narihira (9th cent), and is autobiographical for the most part. It’s a collection of poetry, but each poem is preceded by a prose passage, and the poem and the passage combine to tell a story of an incident. Ariwara is both humorous and good-natured, though there are some heart-wrenching tales in there. Highly recommended.

Kagero Nikki, 10th cent, is the journal of a noblewoman, known to us only as the mother of Michitsuna. She says she created the journal because she was sick and tired of all the romantic tales idealizing love and wanted to show the harsh reality of court love. It’s stark and a bit sad, but not so melodramatic (in my opinion, anyway). It deals mainly with the relationship between her and her husband, who later became a sessho to the child emperor (basically a dictator). So much for romantic love.

Then of course we have the masterpiece, Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. I’ve read pieces of it, and I know you guys all know all about it already.

The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon (Makura no Soshi) was very funny and entertaining. It’s not melancholy at all and, according to the editor of the book, “perhaps the closest approach to high comedy in Japanese Literature.” It’s by Murasaki Shikibu’s contemporary, Sei Shonagon (10th cent). (They knew each other, believe it or not, and Murasaki later writes in her journal about Sei, saying she’s not as clever as she thinks she is and not quiet enough!) The Pillow Book is a very witty journal and, again, funny, especially when they have Sei and her friends have their “girl’s night out.”

I skipped a bit ahead and read some excerpts from The Tale of the Heike, the greatest of the war tales of the Kamakura Period (mid 1200s). It involves the struggle between the Taira/Heike family and the Minamoto/Genji family in the late 1100s. That was most melancholic, and maybe even sad, thing I’ve ever read. The tales were complied by some unknown individual and are episodic, but form together to tell the larger story. Two parts in particular are very poignant - though I’m not sure I want to ruin it for you.

Anyway, that’s the best of what I’ve read so far in regards to Japanese Literature (most of it coming out of the anthology). When I read more, I’ll add more suggestions.

[Mockingbird_z]

Haruli Murakami Afterdark ( i am not sure about translation)
Kobo Abe Woman in the Dunes

[superunknown]

The only thing I've read of Japanese literature is Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World which I really enjoyed. Quirky, twisted and very interesting, and generally I'm not the biggest sci-fi fan either. I'll have to check out some more of Murakami's stuff.

I'm ordering Dazai's No Longer Human and Kawabata's Snow Country now. I hope I won't be disappointed.

I've also heard a lot about Ryu Murakami (no relation to Haruki), who I don't believe has been mentioned yet. Anyone read him and can enlighten us on him?

[Abs]

I was starting to panic until I saw at least a few liked Haruki Murakami. I'm reading the Wind-up Bird Chronicle and enjoying it thoroughly. I'm still in the beginning of the book though, so I wouldn't want to judge it prematurely.
So far, I'm finding it amazing. Maybe it's because I used to be a hardcore anime fan and know somewhat how Japanese entertainment is like.

[Pecksie]

Mishima!!!! "The Sailor who fell from Grace with the Sea" is absolutely stunning!

[Hotaru]

I'll second that. "The sailor who fell from grace with the sea" is an underrated book.

[TheFifthElement]

I've also heard a lot about Ryu Murakami (no relation to Haruki), who I don't believe has been mentioned yet. Anyone read him and can enlighten us on him?

I've read In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami. Very sick-twisted-gruesome but entertaining nonetheless. Actually all of the most gruesome fiction I've read has been Japanese.

Hard-boiled Wonderland is one of my favourite books ever.

Yasunari Kawabata is pretty good, I see you've ordered Snow Country which is a beautifully writtten book.

[Tsuyoiko]

Silence by Shusaku Endo

[crystalmoonshin]

"Thirst for Love" by Yukio Mishima.

"Kokoro" by Natsume Soseki is a favorite but if you're looking for something funny, try "Botchan".

If you want to read something by an overseas Japanese, try "Obasan" by Jot Kogawa.

[promtbr]

"Thirst for Love" by Yukio Mishima.

"Kokoro" by Natsume Soseki is a favorite but if you're looking for something funny, try "Botchan".

If you want to read something by an overseas Japanese, try "Obasan" by Jot Kogawa.

Hey thanks for re-surfacing this thread. The downside it is made me put two more books in the shopping cart...

[semi-fly]

A few suggestions:
- Meoto Zenzai by Sakunosuke Oda
- Almost Transparent Blue by Ryu Murakami
- In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami
- Lizard by Mahoko Yoshimoto
- Moonlight Shadow by Mahoko Yoshimoto
- Silence by Shusaku Endo
- The Silent Cry by Kenzaburo Oe
- The Children of 200 years by Kenzaburo Oe
- Shot by Both Sides by Meisei Goto
- Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
- Strangers by Taichi Yamada
- The Temple of Wild Geese by Tsutomu Mizukami

[crystalmoonshin]

A few suggestions:

- Strangers by Taichi Yamada


This is one of the first few Japanese novels I've read. But I guessed what K really is...

[Emil Miller]

There is a very good book of Japanese erotic stories that I read in a German translation called Jadeschwert und Pflaumenblute ( Jade Sword and Plum Blossom ). They were translated from an English translation made by Prof.Arye Blower from the original Japanese and collected by Alison Fell under the title The Pillow Boy of the Lady Onogoro. These stories date from the early11th century, are surprisingly easy to read and are indeed highly erotic.

[crystalmoonshin]

Talking about erotic literature reminds me of "Towazugatari" a.k.a. "Lady Nijo's Story: The Candid Diary of a Thirteenth Century Japanese Imperial Concubine. It's not exactly that erotic but it tells the story of a young girl who at age 14 became a concubine and had lovers while being an imperial concubine. It's rather scandalous but it was an interesting read.

[Inderjit Sanghe]

My favourite Japanese novel has to be 'Spring, Snow', by Yukio Mishima, it is an utterly beautiful novel, and the best, by some distance, of the whole tetralogy. The love story between Kiyokai and Satoko is very well done, many of the scenes, such as their first kiss, or the scene under the cherry tress, or the final meeting on the beach between Kiyokai, Honda and the Siamese princes are my favourite passages. The ending also affect me for some time, even though the poignancy was lost somewhat in the latter books. Mishima also shows a Proustian proclivity for metaphors and similies.