The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories (Penguin classics)

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A major anthology of great Japanese short stories introduced by Haruki Murakami

This is a celebration of the Japanese short story from its modern origins in the nineteenth century to remarkable contemporary works. It includes the most well-known Japanese writers - Akutagawa, Murakami, Mishima, Kawabata - but also many surprising new pieces, from Yuko Tsushima's 'Flames' to Banana Yoshimoto's 'Bee Honey'. Ranging over myth, horror, love, nature, modern life, a diabolical painting, a cow with a human face and a woman who turns into sugar,
The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories is filled with fear, charm, beauty and comedy.

Edited by Jay Rubin with an introduction by Haruki Murakami

Review

Brilliant, startling, a goldmine ... unfolds like an idiosyncratic mixtape, compiled with expert zeal by veteran translator Jay Rubin ... incredibly varied. Horror and mythology jostle with character comedies, domestic dramas and Proustian reveries ... it challenges notions of what translated literature should be -- Alex Dudok de Wit ― Daily Telegraph

A feast of literature, a smorgasbord of over 30 widely varied modern Japanese writers ... Each lodges itself in memory ... Penguin's new anthology is a literature lover's dream, page after page of memorable writing, stories that leave a lasting impression yet can be fully absorbed in one sitting -- Kris Kosaka ―
Japan Times

An exhilarating glimpse into Japanese literature -- Patti Smith

From the Back Cover

This fantastically varied and exciting collection celebrates the great Japanese short story, from its modern origins in the nineteenth century to the remarkable examples being written today. Curated by Jay Rubin (who has himself freshly translated several of the stories) and introduced by Haruki Murakami, this is a book which will be a revelation to many of its readers. Short story writers already well-known to English-language readers are all included - Tanizaki, Akutagawa, Murakami, Mishima, Kawabata - but also many surprising new finds. From Yuko Tsushima's 'Flames' to Yuten Sawanishi's 'Filling Up with Sugar', from Hoshi Shin'ichi's 'Shoulder-Top Secretary' to Banana Yoshimoto's 'Bee Honey', The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories is filled with fear, charm, beauty and comedy.

Review:

4.6 out of 5

92.31% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection.

c. · 8 October 2021

Love these short stories, great variety of stories and writers. The one on the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima is so powerful and horrific.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good compendium

M. · 30 November 2020

Lots of wonderful stories although the paper used for the pages is very thin

5.0 out of 5 stars Good selection

M.0. · 1 September 2018

I usually download short stories on Kindle - to have something handy to read at all times. I know little of Japanese literature and thought it was a good place to start. Not disappointed - I have only read the first one so far and look forward to the rest which promise to be varied and entertaining.

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely gift

S. · 15 January 2023

Lovely gift for a friend who's interested in Japanese everything

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, great stories

H. · 9 August 2018

Some wonderful stories in the collection. My favourites were Mr English and Peaches but lots more hit the mark as well. A few misses (to my mind) but that is inevitable.

3.0 out of 5 stars Stories good but paper quality terrible

H. · 6 April 2021

I’m not reviewing this for the content, but for the quality of the physical book overall. I bought it as a valentines gift and the quality was so bad I returned it as it would be embarrassing to send. The paper is really flimsy like the free books you used to get in the front of magazines. The print quality is bad too with really small lettering. The cover is flimsy too and mine came with scuffs all over it. Come on Penguin you can do better!! Such a shame.

5.0 out of 5 stars Japan's got it all going on! Talent, Craft, the Unexpected

M.B. · 11 May 2019

To broaden my knowledge and understanding of Japanese literature and discover background/era of the Writers Jay Rubin chose to translate and compile for this collection.

3.0 out of 5 stars Wide ranging japanese short stories.

A. · 2 December 2023

I'm very pleased with this book.I particularly enjoy the nuanced aspects of some stories. There are familiar authors ( Banana Yoshimoto, Heruki Murakami) included and many I've never heard of. In addition the stories are helpfully grouped into generic order.My favourite so far is Kunikida's Unforgettable People. It's nicely paced with unexpected revelation.

This is a good book. I haven’t read much of it but I’m looking forward to it!

L. · 3 July 2024

I don’t like the difficulty with the names of people and things but I’ll get over it because I really want to get into the Japanese way and understand it. Their culture is so beautiful!

Excelente

M.R.J. · 30 November 2023

Para conhecer um pouco do Japão antigo

Glad I bought this book

S.C. · 27 July 2024

This book was great, it's unlikely you'll find any story inside this book that will make your heart melt, and say to yourself 'what an amazing book' , The attraction for me towards this book is the overall style of Japanese stories, there is no forceful desire to make the stories interesting, each story is laid down as it is, meant to convey an event that occurred or emotions of the characters of each story. It's rare to find books like these, each story in it was polished, yet at the same time, didnt feel forceful in trying to make them interesting.I read the stories during my time off work each day, just to relax and soothe my mind, if you read in between the lines and give each story some thought in your free time, you'll realize each story in it is meant to convey a set of morals and experiences. I'd go through my day and sometimes find it funny how some stories would overlap with moments in my life. I'm glad I grabbed this book. The translations are well done.If you do buy it, dont forget to read the long foreword in it by Jay Rubin and Haruki Murakami before you start !

Great stories

s. · 3 August 2020

Love this book!

Fabulous

B.B. · 6 February 2020

Das sind ausnahmslos interessante, spannende, unterhaltsame Kurzgeschichten. Lohnende Lektüre.

The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories (Penguin classics)

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Product origin: United Kingdom

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