Once and forever

Author

Kenji Miyazawa

Call Number

• FICTION MIYA (CEN)

Languages

Translated from Japanese.

Publication Information

New York : New York Review Books, 2018.

Physical Description

xiv, 273 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.

Summary

"A collection of classic, fantastical tales from Northern Japan that are equal parts whimsical and sophisticated, perfect for readers of all ages. Kenji Miyazawa is one of modern Japan's most beloved writers, a great poet and a strange and marvelous spinner of tales, whose sly, humorous, enchanting, and enigmatic stories bear a certain resemblance to those of his contemporary Robert Walser. John Bester's selection and expert translation of Miyazawa's short fiction reflects its full range from the joyful, innocent "Wildcat and the Acorns," to the cautionary tale "The Restaurant of Many Orders," to "The Earthgod and the Fox," which starts out whimsically before taking a tragic turn. Miyazawa also had a deep connection to Japanese folklore and an intense love of the natural world. In "The Wild Pear," what seem to be two slight nature sketches succeed in encapsulating some of the cruelty and compensations of life itself"--

Notes

Stories first published in Japanese, translated into a new original, never before published collection.

"The Japanese titles of the stories collected in this volume are, in consecutive order: 'Tsuchigami to kitsune'; 'Hakushu-shogun to sannin kyodai no isha'; 'Otsuberu to zo'; 'Shishi-odori no hajimari'; 'Nametokoyama no kuma'; 'Donguri to yamaneko'; 'Sero-hiki no Goshu'; 'Tokkobe Torako'; 'Yamata no yuri'; 'Chumon no oi ryoriten'; 'Yamaotoko no shigatsu'; 'Dokumomi no sukina shocho-san'; 'Horakuma-gakko o sotsugyo shita sannin'; 'Suisenzuki no yokka'; 'Manazuru to dariya'; 'Kairo-dancho'; 'Tsue nezumi'; 'Matsuri no ban'; 'Kai no hi'; 'Tsukiyo no den-shinbashira'; 'Ken ju koen-rin'; 'Yamanashi'; 'Hayashi no soko'; and 'Yodaka no hoshi.'"--Verso of title page.

Contents

• The Earthgod and the Fox
• General Son Ba-yu
• Ozbel and the Elephant
• The First Deer Dance
• The Bears of Nametoko
• Wildcat and the Acorns
• Gorsch the Cellist
• Tokkobe Torako
• A Stem of Lilies
• The Restaurant of Many Orders
• The Man of the Hills
• The Police Chief
• The Spider, the Slug, and the Raccoon
• The Red Blanket
• The Dahlias and the Crane
• The Thirty Frogs
• The Ungrateful Rat
• Night of the Festival
• The Fire Stone
• March by Moonlight
• Kenju's Wood
• The Wild Pear
• Down in the Wood
• The Nighthawk Star.