The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories

Praise

“An exhilarating glimpse into Japanese literature.” —Patti Smith, via Instagram

“One of my most treasured volumes.” —Jeva Lange, The Week

“Assembled by longtime Haruki Murakami translator Jay Rubin (and blessed with an introduction by Murakami himself), this handsome 576-page tome is cleverly organized by theme rather than chronology, giving the book a stronger sense of cohesion than if it had started in the nineteenth century and ended with stories from today. . . . You might encounter a witch, or a devastating earthquake, or ‘The Girl from Ipanema.’ ” —GQ, “The 17 Best Books of 2018”

“With everything from ritual suicides to cows with human faces, The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories is bizarre, exotic and memorably gory.” —Daily Mail (London)

“Highly recommended.” —The Spectator (London)

“A feast of literature . . . [It’s] a literature lover’s dream, page after page of memorable writing, stories that leave a lasting impression yet can be fully absorbed in one sitting. It’s one anthology that will surely find a life outside the classroom, offering up the living, vital world of Japanese literature in all its diversity and with a true taste for excellence.” —The Japan Times

“Superb . . . Impressive . . . A fascinating collection of short stories from all periods and from several authors who all too rarely make it into English translation . . . Offers a perfect balance of the classic, along with the unsettling and innovatively modern. All the traditional literary superstars are here, but there are also stories which resonate with contemporary experience. The result is a superb collection of diverse voices whose stories are both intellectually and emotionally rewarding.” —PopMatters

“[An] excellent new collection . . . that pushes boundaries and makes some noise.” —International Examiner

“Reading through this collection has been so fresh and interesting. . . . Now and then I’d be quite astounded at the different and strangely compelling ways the fiction of my own country could be grasped. . . . Unpredictably rewarding.” —Haruki Murakami, from the Introduction