Teru reviewed Modern Japanese Literature by Donald Keene
Wide range of stories and authors
4 stars
The authors chosen represent several decades' worth of literary tradition in Japan. It is interesting to see the evolution from adaptations and straight out copying of Western authors to a more unique identity. There's a fair amount of variety in style and format in the selected works with short stories, excerpts from novels, plays, and several forms of poetry being represented.
While it is already a sizeable collection, I think that the choice to include excerpts from larger works does the reader no favors as the short introductions can be insufficient to portray context. While I had already read some of the novels sampled, I still ultimately find the practice unsatisfying. Other, more self-contained, works by those authors could have been selected instead.
Still, there is plenty to discover and enjoy here. It's well worth a read for those who wish to experience the works of authors whose works are …
The authors chosen represent several decades' worth of literary tradition in Japan. It is interesting to see the evolution from adaptations and straight out copying of Western authors to a more unique identity. There's a fair amount of variety in style and format in the selected works with short stories, excerpts from novels, plays, and several forms of poetry being represented.
While it is already a sizeable collection, I think that the choice to include excerpts from larger works does the reader no favors as the short introductions can be insufficient to portray context. While I had already read some of the novels sampled, I still ultimately find the practice unsatisfying. Other, more self-contained, works by those authors could have been selected instead.
Still, there is plenty to discover and enjoy here. It's well worth a read for those who wish to experience the works of authors whose works are lesser-known outside of Japan. And the bigger names such as Kawabata, Tanizaki, and Mishima do not disappoint either.