Yeah I believe here in Germany that’s especially true for Chinese books, though I haven’t looked into it extensively. The books by Japanese authors I’ve read have been translated directly from the source material. If possible I avoid translations of translations for the reason you mentioned. If I can’t read the original language I’d probably just read the English translation in such a case.
That should be relatively easy to find out. Do you have any particular books by those authors you can recommend? Then I’ll check for them at the library!
After a two good nights’ sleep I don’t even know how strongly I feel about that anymore.
At the moment it felt jarring because all the other dialogue felt quite natural for kids that age and this one felt a bit more like an exaggerated manga or anime scene. It certainly had an effect on me. Made the whole conversation feel a little surreal and off putting. Which actually might enhance the impact of what was discussed.
oe - a personal matter was the book i was thinking of when thinking of his style. i have yet to read it, but i have the changling on my short list. if you were to read it, i would bump it up.
mishima - my love for mishima is splattered all over this thread. my personal favorite is forbidden colors but to see what he’s all about, i’d sooner recommend confessions of a mask or the golden pavilion.
abe - i love abe a lot and for a long time he’d be my first answer for “who is your favorite writer.” if i read through his books again i feel like he’d rightfully reclaim the throne. anyway, the ruined map is a forum favorite, but i would personally advocate for the box man. that book blew my mind when i first read it. i could also easily recommend face of another or the more accessible woman in the dunes (the latter two also have movie adaptations i can vouch for). the ark sakura is also good and more sci-fi flavored. basically they’re all good except kangaroo notebook but even that book has its fans (@wickedcestus i believe?)
if you’re interested in sampling some other japanese writers known for their style, i would also make the obvious recommendation of the heian period classics the tale of genji and the pillow book. i’ve never attempted or even thought about reading these in the original japanese, but i think even in japan they tend to be “translated” into a more modern form of the language.
osamu dazai is filthier and more colloquial. i’ve only read one book by him, but takashi hiraide is more precise and surgical. kawabata is known for beauty ofc but oddly stiff imo. i’ve never heard anyone talk about it, but this book called kinshu: autumn brocade really left an aching and melancholy mark on me. you might want to check out the japan issue of granta, which had a lot of stuff from authors i haven’t seen translated elsewhere (at least at the time i read it).
Yes! It felt clumsy and unshapely at times but for some reason reading The Golden Pavilion in Spanish really stuck with me. The language is brusque and intense which I liked. Same goes for Life for Sale which I also read in Spanish.
I have yet to read the same book in different language, and given how different the vibes can be I’m sure that it would be a good exercise. Not sure why I haven’t done it yet.
Not me. I liked that book on first reading (~20yrs old) and really disliked it on second reading. Love the initial image/premise but the rest is pure meandering.
Thanks for the detailed reply. That’s quite a lot to choose from!
There’s unfortunately next to no of Abe’s work available at my library, except an ebook version of woman in the dunes.
There are decent amount of Mishima’s and Oe’s works available though. Confessions of a mask and the golden pavilion are lent out atm but a personal matter seems to be available.
There also seems to be a collection of contemporary Japanese literature (essays and stories) at the central library. Published by a woman whose name I remember as one of the main contributors to three incredibly thick tomes that seem to be the most up-to-date and largest collection of German-Japanese dictionaries.
I’ll also see if I can get my hands on a copy of that japan issue of granta.
I’ll check out the central library when I pick up my girlfriend from central station on thursday and see what I can get my hands on. I’ll report back!
Just finished re-reading Molloy, Molone Dies and the Unnamable for maybe the 4th time in my life. 3 of my favorite books and I’m always gravitated toward abstract literature when things are getting bad. They very much resonate.
I like The Trilogy a lot too yeah it’s great. Would recommend 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane and then The Obscene Bird of Night just got an unabridged translation if you feel like a major undertaking cool book
I think I will try the obscene bird of night but reading plays is a big no for me unless it’s for academic reasons. I can never find the rhythm that the author is intending probably because I never see plays.
With the exception of difficult plays preformed by community theater. I saw Who’s Afraid of Virginia wolf staged by the danville illinois community theater and it was amazing. Also some of the U of I plays are good but I only see nontraditional staging which doesn’t help in this matter.
