Longing and other Stories

Longing and Other Stories is a collection of three stories from Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, a prominent twentieth century Japanese writer. At only 148 pages, this collection is a short and breezy read that transports you to late 19th century and early 20th century Japan. Though all three stories explore the relationships between mothers and sons and… Continue reading Longing and other Stories

An I-Novel

As the name suggests, An I-Novel is a semi-autobiographical novel told in the confessional manner that characterizes the Japanese literature genre of the same name. Given the author and protagonist Minae’s fascination with the Meiji period of Japan’s history, it is only fitting that the book’s title would harken back to that era. Reminiscent of… Continue reading An I-Novel

A Man

Have you ever wished to switch lives with someone? This is the question at the center of A Man by Japanese literary writer and philosopher Keiichiro Hirano. Told from the perspective of Akira Kido, a divorce attorney with his own struggling marriage, A Man investigates the spiral of lies that is uncovered when a former… Continue reading A Man

The Memory Police

The Four Seasons Snow Japan Heavy Snow Winter

How does the loss of semantic memory affect our identities, our understanding of the world, and even our ability to live? This is the question at the center of Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police, originally published in Japan in 1994 and translated into English in 2019. This ethereal sci-fi exploration of memory follows an unnamed… Continue reading The Memory Police