The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories

by Goossen, Theodore W.

• ISBN13: 9780192803726
• ISBN10: 0192803727
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-11-28
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This collection of short stories, including many new translations, is the first to span the whole of Japan's modern era from the end of the nineteenth century to the present day. Beginning with the first writings to assimilate and rework Western literary traditions, through the flourishing ofthe short story genre in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Taisho era, to the new breed of writers produced under the constraints of literary censorship, and the current writings reflecting the pitfalls and paradoxes of modern life, this anthology offers a stimulating survey of the development ofthe Japanese short story.Various indigenous traditions, in addition to those drawn from the West, recur throughout the stories: stories of the self, of the Water Trade (Tokyo's nightlife of geishas and prostitutes), of social comment, love and obsession, legends and fairytales. This collection includes the work of two Nobelprize-winners: Kawabata and Oe, the talented women writers Hirabayashi, Euchi, Okamoto, and Hayashi, together with the acclaimed Tanizaki, Mishima, and Murakami.The introduction by Theodore Goossen gives insight into these exotic and enigmatic, sometimes disturbing stories, derived from the lyrical roots of Japanese literature with its distinctive stress on atmosphere and beauty.

Author Biography

Theodore Goossen is Professor of Japanese at York University, Ontario. A talented translator, he is well-acquainted with the contemporary Japanese literary scene, and editor of Descant, a Japanese literary journal.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vi
Introduction	xi
Sansho the Steward	1	(27)
Mori Ogai
The Third Night	28	(3)
Natsume Soseki
The Bonfire	31	(5)
Kunikida Doppo
Separate Ways	36	(9)
Higuchi Ichiyo
The Peony Garden	45	(7)
Nagai Kafu
Night Fires	52	(10)
Shiga Naoya
Aguri	62	(12)
Tanizaki Jun'ichiro
Blowfish	74	(5)
Satomi Ton
Portrait of an Old Geisha	79	(16)
Okamoto Kanoko
In a Grove	95	(8)
Akutagawa Ryunosuke
The Bears of Nametoko	103	(9)
Miyazawa Kenji
Spring Riding in a Carriage	112	(12)
Yokomitsu Riichi
Carp	124	(5)
Ibuse Masuji
The Izu Dancer	129	(20)
Kawabata Yasunari
Lemon	149	(5)
Kajii Motojiro
The Accordion and the Fish Town	154	(18)
Hayashi Fumiko
The Flower-Eating Crone	172	(10)
Enchi Fumiko
Blind Chinese Soldiers	182	(5)
Hirabayashi Taiko
In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom	187	(19)
Sakaguchi Ango
Passage to Fudaraku	206	(18)
Inoue Yasushi
Merry Christmas	224	(8)
Dazai Osamu
The Expert	232	(8)
Nakajima Atsushi
The Rifle	240	(12)
Kojima Nobuo
Unzen	252	(12)
Endo Shusaku
The Bet	264	(24)
Abe Kobo
Three Policemen	288	(5)
Yoshiyuki Junnosuke
Onnagata	293	(20)
Mishima Yukio
Toddler-hunting	313	(21)
Kono Taeko
Mr Carp	334	(10)
Mukoda Kuniko
The Duel	344	(7)
Kaiko Takeshi
Prize Stock	351	(40)
Oe Kenzaburo
A Very Strange, Enchanted Boy	391	(9)
Tsushima Yuko
The Elephant Vanishes	400	(17)
Murakami Haruki
Desert Dolphin	417	(15)
Shimada Masahiko
Dreaming of Kimchee	432	(12)
Yoshimoto Banana
Biographical Notes	444	(4)
Filmography	448	(2)
Publisher's Acknowledgements	450