
Haruki Murakami Introduces the Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories - Thevet
https://lithub.com/haruki-murakami-a-brief-history-of-japanese-short-fiction-according-to-me/?single=true
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wahnfrieden
If anyone is interested in reading Japanese short stories in native Japanese,
even if you’re still learning the language, I’ve built an iOS app that
collects various short-form reading materials and lets you tap words to look
them up: [https://reader.manabi.io](https://reader.manabi.io)

I appreciate any feedback. I have a steady base of users and am looking to
expand it further with analytics and level-based recommendations based on the
words you know/have read before.

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elvinyung
I was really excited to try this, but then I realized it wasn't on Android :(

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wahnfrieden
Sorry! I wanted to build a native app to provide the best experience possible.
I do plan to bring it to desktop macOS though.

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Jun8
Talk about serendipity: I finished reading Ryunosuke Akutagawa's story "The
Hell Screen" just a couple of weeks ago! I also have two other short story
collections (see below) by Japanese authors.

I have no knowledge of early 20th century (or current, except Murakami)
Japanese literature; however, when I go to book sales (I particularly
recommend the excellent one by Newberry Library) I look for foreign sort story
collections. I also have to admit that my selections are also somewhat
governed by the physical characteristics of the books: this Japanese short
story collection, which was an old paperbacks, had great illustrative art.

Here are the story collections that I have:

1) Akutagawa
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%ABnosuke_Akutagawa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%ABnosuke_Akutagawa)),
_Japanese Short Stories_ , translated by Takashi Kojima, beautifully
illustrated by Masakazu Kuwata, Charles Tuttle Company, 1962. Akutagawa is
mostly knows as the author of Rashomon, but all 10 of these stories are
excellent. I mentioned "The Hell Screen" above, also want to mention "Otomi's
Virginity". These stories are exercises in style .

2) Junichiro Tanizaki
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jun%27ichir%C5%8D_Tanizaki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jun%27ichir%C5%8D_Tanizaki)),
_Seven Japanese Tales_ , translated by Howard Hibbert, Berkley Publishing,
1963. Here, "The Tattoer" and " A Blind Man's Tale" were my favorites, really
spellbinding stories.

3] Shusaku Endo
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%ABsaku_End%C5%8D](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%ABsaku_End%C5%8D)),
_Five by Endo_ , translated by Van Gessel, New Directions, 1994

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matt_the_bass
Thanks for the explicite references!

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matt_the_bass
I’m a huge fan of Haruki Murakami and have been struggling to find other
Japanese authors I might enjoy. I’m glad to hear he has some similar feelings.
I’m looking forward to reading these other authors stories.

Can anyone recommend other Japanese authors?

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hkmurakami
As others have noted, you'll likely find what you're looking for by finding
other magical realism authors rather than other Japanese authors.

If looking for existentialist ennui authors, then Japan may offer other
writers.

What about Murakami's works appeal to you in particular?

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matt_the_bass
Yes, I like the magical realism of murakami. However I also enjoy the Japanese
cultural references. Maybe it is the gaijin in me, but I feel that the mystery
of Japanese culture (as seen from the eyes of a westerner) is a good match for
magical realism.

I’ve often heard of murakami described as similar to Philip K Dick. Though I
like Dick, I don’t really see the relation. (Though the second season of
amazons Man in the Hogh Castle seems very Murakami-esque to me)

I’ve read a lot of French and German existential ennui authors and don’t get
the same feelings (some I’ve read in both English translation and original
text).

I do get some similar feelings from some Hemingway works, though clearly not
magical realism.

Do you have any magical realism authors you can suggest?

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lubujackson
I (along with some others here) highly recommend Yasunari Kawabata. In a way,
he reminds me of Hemingway because he writes sparsely and with a deep sense of
melancholy. He also was focused on preserving the "Japanese character" at a
time when there was a lot of pressure to Westernize, so in a way he writing
encapsulates a Japanese perspective of what makes Japan unique and
interesting.

He is also just an amazing writer (he won the Nobel). Some interesting works
by him: Master of Go, the novelization of a Go match between two masters (I
barely understand how to play Go and still found it interesting) and Thousand
Cranes, which centers around the tea ceremony. That story is interesting
because a few old tea bowls are treated almost like characters that exert
influence over some of the other characters whose lives are kind of
intertwined almost like a Shakespearean drama. Anyway, a very interesting and
unique author.

I also recommend Musashi from Eiji Yoshikawa. He writes big historical fiction
novels that read like fantasy page-turners. Taiko is his lesser known novel in
translation, but it is a really awesome overview of the Japanese feudal period
and a fun read as well.

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matt_the_bass
Will do! Thanks.

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kuwze
I have a theory that Japanese sense of humor is actually a lot more
sophisticated than that of the west. In particular, I think movies like
Zatoichi satirize westerners. It's a movie where the main character, who is a
blind samurai, is shown to constantly know what people are doing and talk
about it. It is supposed to show him as being ultra-perceptive to westerners,
but in reality I think it was just a farce. Westerners always have to have
things said explicitly, because we lack the ability to understand ishin-
denshin.

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thomasedwards
Without giving away any spoilers, in Spirited Away, if you watch the Japanese
version there is an entire uncovered story delivered in the last few minutes
in just a few lines. In the English version, the same person just says
“thanks!” I think I’d support the idea that generally speaking the Japanese
pack a lot more into what you’re watching or reading.

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kakkun
A bit disappointed to not see any stories by Kenji Miyazawa [0]. I'd love to
see him gain more recognition outside of Japan.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Miyazawa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Miyazawa)

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Ftuuky
I loved 'Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'. Do you have any
book suggestions on that style? Japanese or not, I just wanted more of that
weird cyberpunk/magic realism vibe.

~~~
chychiu
Have you read the rest of his works yet? The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a
masterpiece in a similar tone to Hard-boiled Wonderland (but less cyberpunk)

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matt_the_bass
I would recommend 1Q84. It has the same bizarreness but not cyberpunky.

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bopbop
I'd say the Wind Up Bird Chronicles is a lot closer to the Hard Boiled
Wonderland.

1Q84, while it has an excellent rendition of a cult member, is a simpler
story, and has a tendency to repeat itself quite a bit. I don't know if this
was because it was originally printed as two books or not, that might just be
a UK thing.

The Wind up Bird Chronicles starts on this relatively intriguing but normal
sounding premise (a mans wife doesn't come home one day, and he finds a
receipt for a dry cleaners in her pocket) and then just starts to go nuts, but
with each fantastical step being laid on in a coherent enough fashion to take
you along with it. Of course, all of this is just opinion.

I'd also recommend his book of short stories - I think it's "The Elephant
Vanishes". They are some with really excellent premises.

In terms of other authors, maybe try Borge and A Universal History of Infamy.
I think it has a similar level of fantastical whimsy and excellent language

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Universal_History_of_Infamy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Universal_History_of_Infamy)

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Ftuuky
Thanks for the recommendations, I'm a huge fan of Borges. However, 'The Wind
Up Bird Chronicles' didn't fascinated me and it was somewhat a chore to finish
it.

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bopbop
Ah, shame! I haven't read it in several years.

I have not found anything better then Borges. Actually, it's kind of annoying
because somehow reading Borges appears to have become synonymous with
pretentiousness, at least to my friends, and my earnest appeals to others to
read his magnificent fiction have been poorly received. But he really is so
damn good!

Let me know if there's anything you'd recommend.

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Ftuuky
I don't know if it really qualifies as magic realism but Gunter Grass is a
very good writer that gives this weird fascinating vibe. 'The Tin Drum' and
'The Flounder' are very interesting books, highly recommend.

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bopbop
Awesome, I'll check them out.

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tyrust
The post title confused me a bit. The phrasing made me think that Murakami put
together this collection and then "introduced" it to the world by publishing
it. Actually, Murakami "introduces" this book in the sense that they have
written an introduction for it.

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1123581321
That’s understandable. I think it’d be more clear as, “Murakami: introduction
to the...”

Produced, edited or published would be better words than introduced if he’d
compiled the book, so I did find the word “introduces” clear.

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2bitmachine
For anyone interested in a more thorough and well-introduced volume on
Japanese literature, I’d recommend this two-volume work:

[https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-columbia-anthology-of-
mode...](https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-columbia-anthology-of-modern-
japanese-literature/9780231118606)

