Just Finished Reading: Three Japanese Short Stories by Akutagawa & Others [50pp]
This was a (short) collection of three (obviously!) short stories extracted from an upcoming – but since published – collection intriguingly called Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories. I’d seen that before when browsing Amazon and is, it appears, part of a larger set of international short story collections. Needless to say, I’m keeping a look out for them as I think they’re an excellent way not only to check out new authors but also to dip those toes into authors from other countries and other cultures.
The three examples here were... odd, to say the least. We started with ‘Behind the Prison’ by Nagai Kafu which told of a wandering son returning to the family farm (located by a nearby prison) and struggling to fit back into a quiet life after living abroad. Although nothing has changed, except that his parents have become inexplicably older, he very much has. The second story (and the best I think) was ‘Closet L L B’ by Uno Koji. This was a rather strange, although very amusing, story of a young man who dreamt of being an author. His mother and guardian (his father being dead) want him to become a doctor but they ‘compromise’ on him studying Law. Coming next to last in his class he has no intention of practicing law but instead watches the street life and daydreams from the comfort of his futon closet. Lastly, we have the oldest tale (the author died in 1927) ‘General Kim’ by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. This was a fantastic (as in fantasy!) tale revolving around an early attempted invasion of Korea and the rise of a young Korean hero with seemingly magical powers. It reminded me a bit of ‘Crouching Tiger...’
Despite not being massively impressed by this short collection – with the possible exception of the middle story – it hasn’t put me off in the least from continuing with the Penguin Modern shorts and seeking out the larger volume from which these shorts were extracted. I’m always in the market for works in translation (indeed I picked up two such last week) so there will be more to follow.
8 comments:
That last one sounds like the main character wants to be (or is) part of the 'hikikomori'.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori
Yes, that was my thought too.
I have never heard of the Penguin short stories collection. I’m going to have to investigate. Oh, and I’m halfway through _The Pull of the Stars_. We moved a couple weeks ago, and the days have been exhausting with cleaning , painting, and unpacking, so when I finally get to bed in the evening, I’m lucky to get a couple pages in before I fall asleep. I am enjoying the characters and the story. 🥰
I've only had a brief look, but so far I've seen short story collections from the UK, Spain and Japan. I'm sure that there are many more already published or on track to be. I think its a great way of dipping your toes in unfamiliar waters.
I'm GLAD that you're enjoying 'Pull of the Stars'. I *always* worry about recommending books in case I disappoint people.
So far you have never steered me wrong on books. You even gave me good advice when I started writing my first novel. I had to trash most of my first draft and start over, but not writing certain things that had been beat to death did make my story better. 😜
Cool. I'll try to maintain my batting average....! NO pressure... [lol]
I have read quite a few Japanese short stories at this point (mainly as part of a class). While there are plenty of novels that are distinctly Japanese, I find it's in this shorter form that the cultural differences - and even the differences in literature - really stand out, which is why they can come across as odd. My favorite is a commentary on corporate/capitalist life called "The Bet" by Kobo Abe.
One of the things I really like about translated literature is seeing something as 'odd' and realising that it only seems so because you've never really thought much (or very deeply) about your own culture and how 'odd' it can appear to others.
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