Few cultures in world literature have as rich a heritage as the Japanese. Japanese literature has created a very distinct identity for itself being absurd-ism and an enchanting style of talking about the human experience. Here are some Japanese translated book recommendations!
The Housekeeper and the Professor
The Housekeeper and the Professor is a novel by Yōko Ogawa set in modern-day Japan. It revolves around ‘The Professor’, a brilliant academic with a peculiar problem. After a traumatic head injury, he has lost the ability to retain memory over eighty minutes. The story is told by ‘The Housekeeper’ and follows the strange but beautiful journey of the Professor and his interactions with her and her ten year old son, Root. The story is an enchanting tale of equations and living in the moment.
Out is a 1997 Japanese crime novel written by Japanese author Natsuo Kirino. The story has a gripping narrative that masterfully interweaves this crime novel with sharp commentary on the patriarchal society. It follows the story of a woman who ends up murdering her husband, causing a cat and mouse chase between the determined yet inexperienced criminals and the police. The novel is dark, gritty, brutal and daring, boasting a burst of color of 1990’s Japan. It is gorgeous in its handling of relationships. Misogyny acts as the thematic backbone of the book.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a novel published in 1994–1995 by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. It follows the story of Toru Okada as he looks for his wife in a netherworld that lies below Tokyo. He meets an entourage of buzzard allies and antagonists on the way. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a combination of three books, The Thieving Magpie, Bird as Prophet, The Birdcatcher. It’s gripping, mesmerizing and almost psychedelic in thr brilliant ways that Murakami handles absurdism.
The Makioka Sisters is a novel by Japanese writer Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. It follows the lives of the wealthy Makioka family of Osaka from the autumn of 1936 to April 1941, focusing on the family’s attempts to find a husband for the third sister, Yukiko. Filled with illustrations of upper-class Japanese life and capturing the heartache of its protagonist, The Makioka Sisters is a classic of international literature.
All of these stories have very rich and diverse worlds, exploring Japanese culture as they go. We hope that these recommendations are interesting and provide you with beautiful insights about literature from the Land of the Rising Sun.