The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories

The Oxford book of Japanese short stories edited by Theodore W. Goossen. Publisher: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1997. (2002 printing) ISBN: 0192833049 For all you Kurosawa film buffs, here's a chance to read "In a Grove"...the story that helped launch the ideas for "Rashomon". For those who love Mizoguchi, here's your read for "Sansho the Steward". For those who just love good stories, they're here-in one handy volume. This excellent collection includes about a hundred years' worth of superior Japanese writers, organized by the author's birthdate...and concludes with contemporary stories. Kawabata's here, and his "The Izu Dancer" is one of the gentlest of stories in his disturbing, aesthetic ouvre. I loved "Passage in Fudaraku" by Inoue Yasushi, and "Portrait of an old Geisha" by Okamoto Kanoko, and there's a good Mishima one, too, about a Kabuki actor who plays women. And, if you are geeky like me, you will appreciate the information in the frontispiece. However, if you want to get straight to the riveting stories, that's cool too! Incredibly readable book, and gets my highest recommendation. Here's a list of some of the short stories in the volume: Sansho the Steward / Mori Ogai -- The third night / Natsume Soseki -- The bonfire / Kunikida Doppo -- Separate ways / Higuchi Ichiyo -- The peony garden / Nagai Kafu -- Night fires / Shiga Naoya -- Aguri / Tanizaki Junichiro -- Blowfish / Satomi Ton -- Portrait of an old geisha / Okamoto Kanoko -- In a grove / Akutagawa Ryunosuke -- The bears of Nametoko / Miyazawa Kenji -- Spring riding in a carriage / Yokomitsu Riichi -- Carp / Ibuse Masuji -- The Izu dancer / Kawabata Yasunari -- Lemon / Kajii Motojiro -- The accordion and the fish town / Hayashi Fumiko -- The flower-eating crone / Enchi Fumiko --Blind Chinese soldiers / Hirabayashi Taiko -- In the forest, under cherries in full bloom / Sakaguchi Ango -- Passage in Fudaraku / Inoue Yasushi -- Merry Christmas / Dazai Osamu -- The expert / Nakajima Atsushi -- The rifle / Kojima Nobuo -- Unzen / Endo Shusaku -- The bet / Abe Kobo -- Three policemen / Yoshiyuki Junnosuke -- Onnagata / Mishima Yukio -- Toddler-hunting / Kono Taeko -- Mr. Carp / Mukoda Kuniko -- The duel / Kaiko Takeshi -- Prize stock / Oe Kenzaburo -- A very strange, enchanted boy / Tsushima Yuko -- The elephant vanishes / Murakami Haruki -- Desert dolphin / Shimada Masahiko -- Dreaming of Kimchee / Yoshimoto banana.

"The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories," edited by Theodore Goossen, brings together 35 stories in a volume of 452 plus xxxi pages. The stories are arranged chronologically by the author's birth year. The authors chosen span the generations; the collection starts out with Ogai Mori (1862-1922) and concludes with Banana Yoshimoto (b. 1964), and the rest are pretty evenly spaced out between them. The book also includes brief biographical notes on the story writers. This is a richly diverse collection of tales. Many different settings, subjects, and types of characters are to be found here. The stories range in length from three to forty pages, although the overall average is fairly short (editor Goossen, in the introduction, admits his childhood preference for stories that are short enough to be enjoyed in a single sitting). Marriage, sex, war, slavery, crime, friendship, animals, illness, and military discipline are among the many different topics explored in an anthology that is full of horror, humor, and beauty, as well as the fantastic and the absurd. I would like to mention some of the stories in this superb collection. "Night Fires," by Naoya Shiga, is a beautifully written story that offers the reader a taste of life in a rural mountain area. "Portrait of a Geisha," by Kanoko Okamoto, presents a compelling view of the geisha world through the title character and her household. "The Accordion and the Fish Town," by Fumiko Hayashi, is about a peddler's family eking out a living in a seaside town; this story is rich in evocative details about food, clothes, family life, and economic activity in Japan. "In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom," by Ango Sakaguchi, is extremely violent and gory, yet funny in a weird way; it's about a mountain bandit who claims a new wife as booty. Also worthy of note--"Passage to Fudaruku," by Yasushi Inoue, is set in 1565; as the story opens, an abbot is contemplating an oceanic pilgrimage to a "mythical isle." Atsushi Nakajima sets his story "The Expert" in ancient China. About a man's quest to become the world's greatest archer, it's a funny, yet mystical story with a fairy tale quality. Yukio Mishima's story "Onnagata" explores a man's fascination with a male kabuki actor who plays female roles on stage. I was really struck by "Toddler-hunting," by Taeko Kono. About a childless woman with a bizarre hatred for little girls and an even more bizarre fascination with little boys, this is a shocking, outrageous, and truly daring work of fiction. Another strong entry is "The Elephant Vanishes," by Haruki Murakami; about an elephant's mysterious disappearance, this story has a surreal flavor. There are many more great stories in this collection. Goossen's introduction effectively establishes historical and cultural context for the Japanese short story. I recommend saving the final section of the introduction, subtitled "Legacies," and treating it as an afterword after reading all the sto

This is an exceptional volume of short stories by Japan's finest writers, available in English Translation. It includes a wonderfully complete version of Kawabata's "Izu Dancing Girl" as well pieces by Natsume Soseki, Mishima Yukio, and many others. The structure and arrangement of the stories is such as to lead the reader from old to new, and therebye allows one to experience the natural evolution of Japan's culture through the window of her modern literature. Without a doubt this book will become the heart of anyone's Japanese Library.