my top 5 japanese translation novels as of now are - Kafka on the shore, Norwegian wood, Before the coffee gets cold, No longer human, after dark. Looking forward to read more of mishima's works
i'm surprised that Kobo Abe did not make this list. The Box Man and Woman in the Dunes are life changers. Also, Yoko Tawada, extremely significant contemporary writer
I got into Japanese litterature with Mishima's SPRING SNOW, then I read Yasunari Kawabata, Minato, Yoshimoto, Miyabe, Yamada, Eiji Yoshikawa but now I am on a Murakami binge. I have many more to read and I am surely going to look into Soseki.
The first one I read was Mishima and he really got me into japanese literature, I love Spring Snow most. Then I got to know Soseki, Dazai, Akutagawa, all interesting, but I loooved Yasunari Kawabata the most. Thousand Cranes, absolute masterpiece.
I've read pretty much everything by Soseki, and love his writing. A couple by Mishima, several by Tanizaki and Kowabata. Artist of the Floating World is one of my favourite books. Recently read Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimoto, which is an extraordinary book. Strange Weather in Tokyo (Hiromi Kawakami) is short, light, but perfectly formed. About half way through Musashi ( Eiji Yoshikawa) but having a break from all the bloodshed. Currenty in Revolutionary Russia with Dr Zhivago, but will keep returning to Japan agai and again.
I am surprised that you consider Yukio Mishima to be an unknown author outside Japan! How can a three-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in literature be an unknown? After his death, his photo appeared on the front cover of Newsweek!
Fair point. I’ve made several videos on lady Murasaki’s the tale of Genji. Also in my top 10 Japanese novels I talked about Ogawa and Murata. Any female authors you had in mind? Please suggest I’ll include my future videos.
@@Fiction_Beast Writers often have to be solitary for long periods, but solitary doesn’t necessarily mean lonely. Loneliness can be felt in a crowd. Not all novelists are lonely. Of course there can be emotional, mental, even spiritual issues that make a person despair. So sad.
Great novelists are like coal miners who dive deep to fetch psychological insights. While beautiful for us to read, it does take a toll on the writers. As is precarious for the miners who die at a far greater rate than an office worker.
