Great Japanese Writers

[JuniperWoolf]

Suggestions please. Who are the Hemmingways and Atwoods of Japan?

[Aylinn]

I'm not an expert on Japanese literature, but I know that Natsume Sōseki is believed to be one of the most important writers of Meiji period.

[Alexander III]

Really did you just compare atwood to hemingway? Might as well compare jack daniels to a 1907 vintage merlot.

But in all seriousness

My 3 favorites would be Murakami,Yukio Mishima and Yoshida Kenkō

[Charles Darnay]

I just finished reading Norwegian Wood by Murakami - it's fantastic.

[TheFifthElement]

I blogged about Japanese fiction a while ago. You can read it (if you like) here: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=10178

In terms of 'great' Japanese writers, I'd say Natsume Soseki, Yasunari Kawabata and Ryunosuki Akutagawa are probably the classic 'greats' nothwithstanding Lady Murasaki who is credited with writing the first 'novel' The Tale of Genji which I'll be reading in January if you'd like to join me (shameless plug :D).

For more modern writers you might want to try Yukio Mishima, Kobo Abe (who writes quite weird, claustrophobic fiction) or Jun-ichiro Takazaki.

For contemporary writers Haruki Murakami is your Margaret Atwood but his work is polarising. You'll either like it or not. Banana Yoshimoto is really good - I recently read N.P. and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Actually there are so many really good Japanese writers I could go on for ages. Masuji Ibuse's book Black Rain is a real worthwhile read, as is Naoya Shiga's A Dark Night's Passing then there's Saikaku's Five Women Who Loved Love and Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinara and The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. I could go on (and on...and on).

[Charles Darnay]

I blogged about Japanese fiction a while ago. You can read it (if you like) here: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=10178

In terms of 'great' Japanese writers, I'd say Natsume Soseki, Yasunari Kawabata and Ryunosuki Akutagawa are probably the classic 'greats' nothwithstanding Lady Murasaki who is credited with writing the first 'novel' The Tale of Genji which I'll be reading in January if you'd like to join me (shameless plug :D).

For more modern writers you might want to try Yukio Mishima, Kobo Abe (who writes quite weird, claustrophobic fiction) or Jun-ichiro Takazaki.

For contemporary writers Haruki Murakami is your Margaret Atwood but his work is polarising. You'll either like it or not. Banana Yoshimoto is really good - I recently read N.P. and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Actually there are so many really good Japanese writers I could go on for ages. Masuji Ibuse's book Black Rain is a real worthwhile read, as is Naoya Shiga's A Dark Night's Passing then there's Saikaku's Five Women Who Loved Love and Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinara and The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. I could go on (and on...and on).

I have got to stop reading your posts, they cause my list of books I want to read to expand faster than I can keep up with.

There are some fantastic recommendations here.

[Jack of Hearts]

Man, Snow Country was soooo good. This reader will never forget the metaphor of the girl's reflection in the train's window.

This reader has read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami and certain aspects of it transcend the fact that it is mostly a 'pop' read.






J

[Dark Muse]

I am not that well read in Japaneese literature but I do love Murakami

[JCamilo]

I second Kawabata, Akutugawa, Soseki and Tanizaki if you are talking about prose writers. I like to read Basho traveling diaries too, but I guess he is no hemingway.

[mortalterror]

Various (347-759) Manyoshu (especially Hitomaro)
Various (800-920) Kokinshu
Sei Shonagon (966-1017) The Pillow Book
Murasaki Shikibu (973-1025) Tale of Genji
Yoshida Kenko (1283-1350) Essays in Idleness
Kakuichi (1300-1371) The Tale of the Heike
Ihara Saikaku (1642-1693) Five Women Who Loved Love
Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) Narrow Road to the Deep North
Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725) The Battles of Coxinga
Takeda Izumo (1691-1756) Chushingura
Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) Kokoro
Junichiro Tanizaki (1886-1965) The Makioka Sisters
Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) The Hell Screen
Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972) Snow Country
Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) The Sea of Fertility
Haruki Murakami (1949-) The Wind Up Bird Chronicle

[JuniperWoolf]

Really did you just compare atwood to hemingway?

I knew there would be someone to get their hackles up for that.

[CarpeNixta]

One of my all time favourites is Yasunari Kawabata I have The Master of Go, Kyoto and First Snow in Mount Fuji.

I also have a book of Yoshimoto Banana and I just started reading a Murakami Haruki

[TheFifthElement]

I have got to stop reading your posts, they cause my list of books I want to read to expand faster than I can keep up with.

There are some fantastic recommendations here.

:lol: sorry Charles. Too many books, too little time. I have the same complaint.

[JuniperWoolf]

Thank you very much for the suggestions everyone. I've taken all of your recommendations into consideration.

[Kyriakos]

I like Tanizaki. Particularly the short stories, and of those the ones of his early period, where he was closer to western thematologies and style :)

[AjaxAscendant]

Oh my, you guys are talking about my major in college!

Well, in case of favorites, I'd say I like Shiga Naoya, Natsume Soseki and Akutagawa Ryunosuke. All-time greats, I'd go with Murasaki Shikibu, Sei Shonagon, whoever wrote Heike monogatari, most of the Manyoshu poets and Basho.