Japanese Fiction
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Shiga Naoya, Lane Dunlop |
Tuttle
Pub
Paper Door and Other Stories
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Goodreads rating: 3.77
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No modern Japanese writer was more idolized than Shiga Naoya. The Paper Door and Other Stories showcases the concise, delicate art of this writer who is often called "the god of the Japanese short story." Doyen of Japanese letters Donald Keene ranks some of Shiga's stories "among the most brilliant achievements in this genre by any twentieth-century Japanese writer." Shiga's unique style is concise and simple, with no unnecessary words. With the subtlest of gestures, he evokes the fullness of experience. Lane Dunlop's masterly translation of seventeen of Shiga's finest stories has provided English readers their first overview of the author's work. Now back in print, the book is augmented by Donald Keene's new preface contextualizing Shiga's awesome literary gifts. Dunlop has chosen stories that aptly represent Shiga's range and virtuosity. With selections spanning forty years, from the fable-like "The Little Girl and the Rapeseed Flower" to the psychologically complex "A Gray Moon," this collection delineates the development of Shiga's rare genius.
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Yukio Mishima
|
Vintage
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (Vintage Summer)
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Goodreads rating: 3.86
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A band of savage thirteen-year-old boys reject the adult world as illusory, hypocritical, and sentimental. When the mother of one of them begins an affair with a ship's officer, he and his friends idealise the man at first; but it is not long before they conclude that he is in fact soft and romantic. They regard this disillusionment as an act of betrayal on his part - their retribution is deliberate and horrifying.Yukio Mishma was born into a samurai family and imbued with the code of complete control over mind and body, and loyalty to the Emperor - the same code that produced the austerity and self-sacrifice of Zen. He wrote countless short stories and thirty-three plays, in some of which he acted. Several films have been made from his novels, including The Sound of Waves; Enjo, which was based on The Temple of the Golden Pavilion; and The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea. Among his other works are the novels Confessions of a Mask and Thirst for Love and the short-story collections Death in Midsummer and Acts of Worship.
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Jing-Jing Lee
|
Oneworld
Publications
How We Disappeared
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Goodreads rating: 4.2
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"How We Disappeared" is not just a book; it's a journey through the silent echoes of the past, where pain and resilience bleed into each other. If you were captivated by the depth and historical intricacies in "Pachinko," you'll find a similar heartfelt narrative here, one that weaves the struggle for identity amidst the brutal backdrop of war. Jing-Jing Lee offers a compelling story that honors the strength of the human spirit, making it a powerful read for anyone interested in the personal, often untold experiences of history.
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Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami |
Vintage
Books,
A
Division
Of
Random
House
Llc,
New
York
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
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Goodreads rating: 3.87
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If you've ever felt disconnected or sought closure from past relationships, Murakami's tale will likely resonate with you. This is not just a story, but a meditation on the perplexities of human connections, serving both as a mirror to your own experiences and as a window into the intricate Japanese culture that underpins the narrative. The sense of longing and the diligent pursuit of self-understanding might just echo your own journey.
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"Goodbye Tsugumi" is a brilliant choice if you're interested in exploring intricate family dynamics set against the backdrop of a small seaside town in Japan. Banana Yoshimoto's delicate style captures the depths of human ties, offering a poignant, bittersweet novel that delves into the essence of change and acceptance.
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"Kitchen" delves into the delicacy of human emotions, intertwining tales of love, grief, and identity against a modern Japanese backdrop. It speaks to the resilience of the human spirit through personal connections and the comfort found in everyday life. Its concise and heartfelt narrative has the unique ability to leave a lasting impact, resonating with anyone who's ever sought solace in the simplest of places.
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Philip Gabriel, Jay Rubin, Haruki Murakami |
Vintage
International
Blind Willow Sleeping Woman
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Goodreads rating: 3.84
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If you're drawn to the special brand of magic and realism that Murakami is renowned for, "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman" is a collection that shouldn't be missed. The stories here are like puzzles, with pieces of the human experience beautifully interwoven with the bizarre, whisking you on a journey through the surreal. Perfect for those moments when you crave an escape from the everyday into a world that's both familiar and wonderfully strange.
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A woman goes into a bakery to buy a strawberry cream tart. The place is immaculate but there is no one serving so she waits. Another customer comes in. The woman tells the new arrival that she is buying her son a treat for his birthday. Every year she buys him his favourite cake; even though he died in an accident when he was six years old.From this beginning Yoko Ogawa weaves a dark and beautiful narrative that pulls together a seemingly disconnected cast of characters. In the tradition of classical Japanese poetic collections, the stories in Revenge are linked through recurring images and motifs, as each story follows on from the one before while simultaneously introducing new characters and themes. Filled with breathtaking images, Ogawa provides us with a slice of life that is resplendent in its chaos, enthralling in its passion and chilling in its cruelty.~from the back coverAfternoon at the bakery --Fruit juice --Old Mrs. J --The little dustman --Lab coats --Sewing for the heart --Welcome to the museum of torture --The man who sold braces --The last hour of the Bengal tiger --Tomatoes and the full moon --Poison plants
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Edward G. Seidensticker, Yukio Mishima |
Vintage
The Decay Of The Angel
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Goodreads rating: 4.13
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The dramatic climax of "The Sea of Fertility" tetraology takes place in the late 1960s. Honda, now an aged and wealthy man, discovers and adopts a sixteen-year-old orphan, Toru, as his heir, identifying him with the tragic protagonists of the three previous novels, each of whom died at the age of twenty. Honda raises and educates the boy, yet watches him, waiting.
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Kobo Abe, the internationally acclaimed author of Woman in the Dunes, combines wildly imaginative fantasies and naturalistic prose to create narratives reminiscent of the work of Kafka and Beckett.In this eerie and evocative masterpiece, the nameless protagonist gives up his identity and the trappings of a normal life to live in a large cardboard box he wears over his head. Wandering the streets of Tokyo and scribbling madly on the interior walls of his box, he describes the world outside as he sees or perhaps imagines it, a tenuous reality that seems to include a mysterious rifleman determined to shoot him, a seductive young nurse, and a doctor who wants to become a box man himself. The Box Man is a marvel of sheer originality and a bizarrely fascinating fable about the very nature of identity.Translated from the Japanese by E. Dale Saunders.
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Shion Miura, Juliet Winters Carpenter |
Amazon
Crossing
The Great Passage
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Goodreads rating: 3.81
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"The Great Passage" would resonate with you if you find joy in the nuanced beauty of language and human connections. Shion Miura's storytelling weaves together the life of a passionate lexicographer and the charming intricacies of assembling a dictionary. It's a book that celebrates the perseverance and dedication to a craft while touching on the gentle sparks of love and unexpected friendships. It's an unexpectedly heartwarming tale for anyone who's ever been moved by the power of words.
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Jay Rubin, Natsume Sōseki, Haruki Murakami |
Aardvark
Bureau
The Miner
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Goodreads rating: 3.96
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The Miner is the most daringly experimental and least well known novel of the great Meiji novelist Natsume Soseki (1867-1916). Written in 1908, it is an absurdist novel about the indeterminate nature of human personality, which in many respects anticipates the work of Joyce and Beckett. Virtually devoid of plot and characterization, it unfolds entirely within the mind of the unnamed protagonist. Focusing on a young man whose love life has fallen to pieces, The Miner follows him as he flees from Tokyo, is picked up by a procurer of cheap labor for a copper mine, and then travels toward - and finally burrows into the depths of - the mine where he hopes to find oblivion. The young man reflects at length on nearly every thought and perception he experiences along the way, in terms of what the experience means to him at the time and in retrospect as a mature adult narrating the tale. The narrator concludes that there is no such thing as human character, and the many passages in which he ruminates on the nature of personality constitute the theoretical core of the book. The intellectual distancing carries over into the style of writing as well, and instead of a tragedy of alienation, we find here an absurdist - truly absurd and comical - allegory of descent into the psyche.
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Haruki Murakami
|
Vintage
Books
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
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Goodreads rating: 3.84
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Murakami fans will revel in "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman" as it weaves together the strange and the familiar in a tapestry of human emotion. If you appreciate stories that challenge reality and leave you pondering long after the last page, this collection will be a treasure trove. The dreamlike quality often found in Murakami's work is abundant here, enticing those who enjoy the blend of the everyday with the fantastical.
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If you're drawn to novels that weave together distinct narratives across cultures and time, then "A Tale for the Time Being" is a book you shouldn't miss. Ruth Ozeki crafts a story that binds the loneliness of a Tokyo teenager with the curiosity of a novelist in British Columbia, creating a tapestry that feels both intimate and expansive. It's a thoughtful exploration of our shared humanity, striking a delicate balance between light-heartedness and the profound search for meaning.
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"Pachinko" is a deep dive into the complexities of an immigrant family's life, blending intimate storytelling with historical context. It's not just a tale of survival, but also a portrayal of enduring cultural identity amidst discrimination and hardship. For those of you passionate about multi-generational epics and unflinching looks at the human spirit across decades, this book brings a heartfelt examination of identity, family, and the weight of history.
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Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori |
Granta
Books
Convenience Store Woman
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Goodreads rating: 3.67
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If you've ever felt pressure to conform, "Convenience Store Woman" might resonate deeply with you. Sayaka Murata presents Keiko's story with such peculiar charm that it turns the mundane setting of a convenience store into a backdrop for self-discovery and societal critique. It's a compact tale but one that's rich with commentary on the oddities of normalcy.
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Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin |
Vintage
Books
Norwegian Wood
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Goodreads rating: 3.99
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This poignant coming-of-age novel, set against the backdrop of the 1960s in Tokyo, beautifully captures the complexities of love, loss, and the decisions that shape our futures. Through the eloquent prose of Haruki Murakami, the reader is transported to a world of youthful longing and uncertainty. Norwegian Wood is a nostalgic journey that will resonate with anyone seeking to understand the profound impact of first love and the true cost of choosing between two paths.
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If you're in the mood for something that nudges the boundaries of reality with a soft, insistent hand, "The Elephant Vanishes" might just be the book for you. Murakami's mastery of weaving the surreal with the everyday speaks to the part of us that suspects there's more to life than what meets the eye, making it a tantalizing read for anyone looking to be gently unmoored from the mundane.
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Ted Goossen, Haruki Murakami |
Knopf
The Strange Library
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Goodreads rating: 3.55
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This book could be a great read for those who enjoy venturing into surreal worlds and escaping reality. Murakami's imaginative storytelling takes readers on a whimsical journey through a nightmarish library, where a lonely boy, a mysterious girl, and a tormented sheep man plan their escape. With Chip Kidd's striking design and full-color illustrations, it's a visually captivating treat that will leave book lovers of all ages spellbound.
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If you're intrigued by the blend of contemporary life with mythical folklore, "Kappa Quartet" could be a delightful journey for you. It offers an imaginative exploration of existential questions woven into the fabric of Japanese and Singaporean settings. The narrative's unique structure, featuring a tapestry of interconnected lives, promises a reading experience that's as enigmatic as the soul-seeking kappa itself.
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Agnes Chew
|
Math
Paper
Press
The Desire for Elsewhere
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Goodreads rating: 3.72
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A girl who nearly meets with death while on board a plane from Paris to Marrakech; a boy who fills her arms with paper animals under the open skies of rural China; her doppelgänger whom she meets in the Middle East; a question she was once asked, and the answer she only finds three years after. The Desire for Elsewhere takes you on an intimate journey to explore the interiors of the museum of the narrator's being, where otherwise ordinary artefacts reveal the stories they contain within. Travelling to the past, parallel planets, and the future, it tells a story of stories that explores the universal themes of love and loss, time and transience, and travel and wanderlust. Enchanting and evocative, the tales of Agnes Chew transport you to places that run on lost time, missed opportunities, and deep-rooted aspirations. These are voyages fuelled by a sense of nostalgia, possibility, and hope. Ultimately, this debut collection raises fundamental questions on the ways in which we live our lives.
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"When We Were Orphans" pulls you into Christopher Banks' quest, feeling less like a traditional whodunit and more like a deep dive into one's psyche amidst historical chaos. As you get immersed in Banks' search for truth, not just about his parents but about himself, the book's ability to weave through the complexities of memory and identity will resonate with anyone who has ever looked back to understand their place in the world. Ishiguro once again proves his mastery in exploring how the past forever shapes us, making this novel a thoughtful and captivating read.
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Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel |
Vintage
International
Kafka on the Shore
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Goodreads rating: 4.12
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Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore" is a work that challenges the boundaries between the fantastical and the mundane. If you're drawn to stories that weave complex narratives with elements of magic realism, this book will captivate you. As you follow Kafka's runaway journey and Nakata's peculiar life, you'll find yourself immersed in a world where cats converse and metaphysical puzzles abound. Prepare for an enthralling experience that isn't just about the destination, but the mesmerizing path you take to get there.
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Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell |
Portobello
Books
Strange Weather in Tokyo
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Goodreads rating: 3.71
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"Strange Weather in Tokyo" could be just the book for you if you're intrigued by explorations of poignant human connections set against the backdrop of cultural rituals and seasonal change. Hiromi Kawakami has crafted a narrative that's both delicate and deeply resonant, capturing a romance that defies societal norms. It's a tale that invites introspection and offers a gentle, thoughtful dive into the complexity of love and loneliness.
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If you appreciate intricate character studies threaded with historical nuances, "The Remains of the Day" might resonate with you. Ishiguro's portrayal of Stevens, the archetypal loyal butler, is a masterful excavation of the human heart against the backdrop of duty and service. His journey is as much about the roads taken as it is about the emotional landscapes unexplored. This book whispers to those who understand the silent language of sacrifice and the haunting beauty of what might have been.
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Kevin Kwan
|
Allen
&
Unwin
Crazy Rich Asians
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Goodreads rating: 3.9
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If you're in the mood for a story that feels like a mix of a glamorous soap opera and a cheeky satire, "Crazy Rich Asians" might just be the next book on your list. You'll dive into a world that's so extravagant it almost feels fictional, only it's not. Kevin Kwan has a way of capturing the extravagance of Singapore's elite with such wit that you'll laugh as much as you'll gasp. It's especially perfect for those who love a good romance with a heavy dose of family drama and cultural clashes.
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Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin |
Vintage
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
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Goodreads rating: 4.14
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This book is a mesmerizing and deeply philosophical journey that delves into the uncanny and mysterious. Murakami's prose weaves a shot-silk garment of deceptive beauty, with vivid characters and mind-bending plotlines that will keep you engaged throughout. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a true original, always leaving you wanting to know more about its surreal and enchanting world. Dive into this extraordinary novel and prepare to be captivated.
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If you're intrigued by the blend of historical fiction with mythical elements, "The Buried Giant" could be a mesmerizing read for you. Ishiguro weaves a tale where personal quests intersect with broader themes of memory and forgiveness, set against the backdrop of a fading Britain. His prose is hauntingly beautiful, and this novel will linger in your thoughts long after the final page.
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Yōko Ogawa, Stephen Snyder |
Vintage
The Housekeeper and the Professor : 'a poignant tale of beauty, heart and sorrow' Publishers Weekly
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Goodreads rating: 4.05
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An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.He is a brilliant maths professor with a peculiar problem - ever since a traumatic head injury seventeen years ago, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory.She is a sensitive but astute young housekeeper who is entrusted to take care of him.Each morning, as the Professor and the Housekeeper are reintroduced to one another, a strange, beautiful relationship blossoms between them. The Professor may not remember what he had for breakfast, but his mind is still alive with elegant equations from the past. He devises clever maths riddles - based on her shoe size or her birthday - and the numbers reveal a sheltering and poetic world to both the Housekeeper and her ten-year-old son. With each new equation, the three lost souls forge an affection more mysterious than imaginary numbers, and a bond that runs deeper than memory.
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Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel |
Random
House
Uk
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
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Goodreads rating: 4.34
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"The Travelling Cat Chronicles" could resonate with you deeply if you're an animal lover or someone who appreciates the joys and heartaches of life's journey. The story is told through the perspective of a witty cat, Nana, which adds a layer of charm and humor to the narrative. It's a book that celebrates the bonds we form and our desire for connection, which ultimately reveals how small acts of love can lead to profound changes in our lives.
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Haruki Murakami, Ted Goossen |
Vintage
Wind/Pinball : Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 (Two Novels)
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Goodreads rating: 3.53
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NATIONAL BESTSELLERWind/Pinball, a unique two-in-one volume, includes, on one side, Murakami’s first novel Hear the Wind Sing . When you flip the book over, you can read his second novel, Pinball, 1973 . Each book has its own stunning cover.In the spring of 1978, a young Haruki Murakami sat down at his kitchen table and began to write. The two remarkable short novels— Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 —that launched the career of one of the most acclaimed authors of our time.These powerful, at times surreal, works about two young men coming of age—the unnamed narrator and his friend the Rat—are stories of loneliness, obsession, and eroticism. They bear all the hallmarks of Murakami’s later books, and form the first two-thirds, with A Wild Sheep Chase , of the trilogy of the Rat. Widely available in English for the first time ever, newly translated, and featuring a new introduction by Murakami himself, Wind/Pinball gives us a fascinating insight into a great writer’s beginnings.
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Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami |
Vintage
Kafka on the Shore
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Goodreads rating: 4.12
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This book is a must-read for those seeking a mind-expanding experience. With its blend of surrealism, magical realism, and intricate storytelling, Kafka on the Shore takes readers on a mesmerizing journey through the protagonist's parallel odysseys filled with enigmatic characters, mysterious events, and thought-provoking riddles. Haruki Murakami captivates with his elegant and dreamlike writing style, creating a masterpiece that is both bewildering and enchanting. Prepare to be transported to a world where cats talk, fish fall from the sky, and reality becomes beautifully blurred. Get ready for a truly extraordinary literary experience.
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William A. Lyell, Lu Xun |
University
Of
Hawaii
Press
Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
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Goodreads rating: 3.91
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If you've ever wanted to delve into the influential mind that shaped modern Chinese literature, this is your chance. Lu Xun's stories are rich with piercing wit and a deep understanding of the human condition. The translation captures the essence of his irony and style, making these classic tales resonate with contemporary readers and offering a keen insight into China's cultural shifts.