Where to Start with Japanese Literature

[@Chloe-ui5hl]

Yesss I love Japanese lit - just finished the wind up bird chronicle, I’m hoping to study Japanese at uni next year 👏🏼

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow - what a coincidence :) I have The Wind Up Bird Chronicle arriving today. I've just started on Yukio Mishima's Temple of the Golden Pavilion and 'Out' by Kirino Natsuo. Studying Japanese at uni sounds like a dream!

[@edwinputman9890]

Name of the song: ‘Ue wo muite arukou’ (上を向いて歩こう) but the silly English title is ‘Sukiyaki.’ The onsen town in ‘Snow Country’ is in the mountains of Niigata Prefecture, quite near Tokyo, actually, and far from Hokkaido. But trivia aside, I love what your doing, in terms of both your knowledge and your presentation. Also, you seem like a good man. Thanks.

[@andreshombriamate745]

My favourite Japanese author ( and one of my favourites of any nationality) is Junichiro Tanizaki... who is never mentioned in videos recommending Japanese literature. In fact, he died just when he was a "nominee" to be awarded the Nobel Prize (that Kawabata received three years later). In Spain , he was more or less known in the seventies (translated from English and French translations), but nowadays, when direct translations of most of his narrative is available, it seems to be almost forgotten. I presume, it´s not the case in France, where most of his work is published in the prestigious collection "La Pléïade", being the only Japanese author in it. He only wrote a long novel "The Makioka Sisters", but a large collection of nouvelles. In my opinion "The Story of Shunkin" is an absolute masterpiece, one of the best nouvelles I´ve ever read (and is my favourite genre). Almost as good are "The Reed Cutter" ( who inspired the Mizoguchi´s film "Miss Oyu") and "The Key", a masterpiece of erotic literature (which was filmed by Tinto Brass, respecting its convoluted plot and simply moving it from Japan on the fifties to Venice under Mussolini). The other author that i missed in your video is Akutagawa, in a certain way the father of modern Japanese narrative and a short-stories author whose value is comparable to Poe, Chejov, Maupassant, Borges (who admired him), or Rulfo.

[@john005_]

Good god thank you for mentioning Musashi. For a long time it was my favourite book. When i was young i barely read. And this was maybe the third book I read. I think the longer we spend time with a book makes us like it and remember it more. In these days I had more focus. Now I am struggling to finish War and Peace but love it.

[@legendaryswaglord123]

Added all your Russian and Japanese literature recommendations to a list and gonna get at them. 👍

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Nice one! Let me know what you think of them :) Happy reading!

[@Bagopedia]

This year I started reading Japanese books and found I love Mishima a lot. Thank you for your video!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so thrilled to hear that! Yukio Mishima's so great :)

[@geruto17760]

Excellent overview, so well presented. Thanks, Benjamin. Got here as I am just reading Kawabata, given the book was left behind by my granny, a long time ago hen she passed away. A part 2 of this introduction would be really appreciated...

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Gert! I hope you're enjoying Kawabata. Sounds like a very sentimental reading experience. I just re-discovered a book that my grandmother, a key influence in my life who passed away almost two decades ago, gifted me when I was a child. Magical stuff. I'd be happy to do a part two :)

[@scaredfolks5923]

I recently found Mori Ogai and loved how down to earth the conflicts in his light novels were. The Dancing Girl or まいひめ「舞姫」is my favourite one.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you for the recommendation :) I'll check that out!

[@danielaayers3449]

I love the layered tragedy of The Sailor Who Fell From Grace. I’ve been meaning to get my hands on a Kawabata so will be taking your recommendation for Snow Country on board. I do love Haruki Murakami and have read a few short stories by Yuko Tsushima and Banana Yoshimoto. I am pleased to see so many different recommendations for Japanese authors to explore. I would love to see another video! Maybe including some female authors if you have any recommendations of any you’ve read. Cheers.

[@LunaDracula]

Thank you for these recommendations

[@briancoveney3080]

Thank you so much for this one. I have just recently decided that I am going to read (at least one) Murikami title this year. I've wanted to go to Japan, if only to listen to the people speak, for years and years. I've seen all the japanese films I could find for this reason. Now, reading the books, I guess. Sincere thanks, Bra'.

[@marygarrapa3537]

I loved reading "a thousand cranes". It's one of the books that I remember really well, together with "snw country"

[@marygarrapa3537]

So glad you liked it. I've yet to meet someone who knows of it!

[@Aki-wq6xh]

The music in your background makes me feel sooo emotional. In a good way and it didn’t overpower. Well done ❤

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Aki :) It makes me incredibly nostalgic too. I listen to that song and I long to return to Japan. The country I felt most at home!

[@user-xh6ju3pg8c]

Doesn't matter if it's visual novel, 'umineko' Is one of the best stories I have heated... Recommended to anyone, Think with your heart and mind "Without love it can't be seen"

[@amv_books_and_films]

I loved Snow Country and I agree about the cultural differences, but it is beautiful, such a deep reservoir of feeling and spirituality underneath a seemingly cold exterior. Also, it reflects Mono no Aware - which roughly translates to "how beautiful is the impermanence of things."

[@wendellwilson5974]

so interesting...I lived in Korea and China for about 15 years.....love Japanese culture...

[@aiva729]

The first book I read in Japanese literature was Kagerō Nikki and it made me fall in love with this diary genre and japanese literature in general because i feel something common even in Ishiguro's writing.

[@sdkfz1812]

Enjoyed the video. I did a paper on Mishima's Confessions of a Mask when I was in University. I will soon be starting Murakami's IQ84. I will be looking into some of the other writers you listed. Keep producing excellent videos.

[@rustyshackelford934]

Interesting coincidence, after I finish McCarthy’s, Suttree, I was planning on either reading The Sailor Who Fell From Grace, or Snow Country. And I just read the Wind Up Bird Chronicle lol really liked that one, although I still think Norwegian Wood is my favorite Murakami. You described it so well. So tender and tragic, yet, beautiful. Still juggling with my decision on the other two though. I’ve read Mishima’s-Spring Snow, and really really enjoyed it and want to dive further into his works. Just reading about his life is intriguing on its own. But, I may have to go with Kawabata, since I’ve yet to read anything from this master. Only time will tell, and which opening sentence grabs me more in the moment lol

[@davidsheriff9274]

Ever since I saw"Drive My Car"I have been obsessed with everything Japanese, (I know that's silly, but whatever). I decided to read the Haruki Murakami book that the story came from",Men Without Women" and I absolutely hated it. So I thought I would try Ryu, the other Murakami, and I read"Piercing" I loved it, but I wasn't crazy about the ending. I just ordered "Tokyo Uendo Station"and" In the Miso Soup" and I have been listening to"A Personal Matter" by Kenzaburo Oe, the whole audio book is on KZbin, not sure what I think about it yet. It's exciting to discover something new. One thing can open up a whole new world. I remember when I first heard Miles Davis on the radio, I flipped out, and it led to a passion for jazz that has given so much to my life.

[@briancoveney3080]

I think that is an image taken from Toshiro Mifune on the cover of the Musashi book. There is, I'm sure you know, a three part film of Musashi's life ...Samurai...I think, not directed by Kurasawa but completely superb. I love Mifune.

[@cmmosher8035]

Back in college i found a copy of Kobo Abe's Beyond the Curve on the dollar bin at my school library (i also picked up a nice well volume of TS Elliot poems). Darker version of Murakami's magical realism/absurdism. I also really enjoyed His novel Woman in the Dunes.

[@pgn42]

Using this as a stepping point to study for a japanese competition

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow! That's so cool. What do you need to do for your competition? Wishing you the best of luck with it! 頑張って💪

[@pgn42]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy it’s the illinois japan bowl, it’s a mix of japanese phrases, idioms, etc, and culture like literature. We got 2nd in our level tysm.

[@jenniferadam2258]

Thank you!! Can't wait to explore these!

[@thebookdoc.writing.and.editing]

I've been poking around in a lot of places looking for information for a work I am writing for a client. Most of the stuff that has huge followings is of the sort "Wow! look at this!" and they show you something sensational and make nothing of it. I found your discussion actually useful. Best of luck with it.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you :) And best of luck with your work!

[@anafejapin6442]

I can relate.

[@JasmineTea127]

Thanks for the excellent introduction! It excites me that you said it's not as overt as American works. I'm not a refined reader yet, and my life's exposure has mainly been American and a bit of British literature. I'm ready to dive into Japanese literature!

[@christopherpaul7588]

So interesting. So many people love Norwegian Wood. It's my least favorite Murakami. I started with South of the Border, West of the Sun, which was great! But my favorites are Sputnik Sweetheart and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World was great too.

[@haikyo-w1b]

I just finished The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, and I really... enjoyed it I think? There's a lot to reflect on. I'm usually excited to jump into my next book, but this one has put me in a mood. Looking forward to reading more Mishima, and getting into Japanese literature. Kokoro by Soseki is up next!

[@arijayari1076]

i am glad u recommended a manga too

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I LOVE manga :)

[@binhluong6393]

Thanks for sharing

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much for such a kind comment, and for watching along :)

[@thomasthompson6378]

Many, many thanks for this, Benjamin McEvoy. Regarding Mishima, of course, his great masterpiece is thought to be The Sea of Fertility quartet, consisting of "Spring Snow," "Runaway Horses," "The Temple of Dawn," and "The Decay of the Angel." I've had all these books for many years, but have not yet read any of them. But with your encouragement, I'm going to commence "Spring Snow" this evening. Two other books of Mishima's I really like are "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" and "Forbidden Colors." This latter is an excellent read but it deals with homosexuality which is no longer taboo in Japan, i.e., it's about the "forbidden colors" that are no longer forbidden. "The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea" was made into a truly excellent movie and I commend it to the viewing of those who haven't yet seen it.

[@marijoe19]

This year, I’d read one book from past HCLBC novels and read Murakami in between since I consider the HCLBC books to stretch my brain powers whilst Murakami books are for my leisure, easy flow reads 😊.

[@0210fnunez]

I loved Kawabata I read from him A Thousand Cranes, I also read Norwegian Wood from Murakami loved it too and also a female author Kawakami the book I read from her haven't seen it in English is like reading a haiku . Is well known they even made a movie about the book named "El Cielo es Azul, la Tierra Blanca" which means The Sky is Blue, the land is white.

[@sharonalbanese8084]

Thanks Benjamin, this has given me some great ideas! I also like Kazuo Ishiguro's books, especially Never Let Me Go.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

You're very welcome, Sharon :) Thank you for watching! Never Let Me Go is such a great book. I'm due a reread!

[@shabirmagami146]

delightful as always💌

[@jesussanchezherrero5659]

I recommend reading Kawabata's "Kyoto" just before or while visiting the city

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Great recommendation. Paired with Yukio Mishima's Kinkakuji to top it off :)

[@jesussanchezherrero5659]

@@BenjaminMcEvoycheers for the recommendation too!

[@inspirationlab1444]

And Vagabond is kinda like an extension of the Musashi.... And read almost all of these books....Japanese.... However I do realise that the Translated works get a little too simple. I mean they have good an difficult vocabulary in the original language but once they are translated, they become really easy to read and also loose a lot of that flavor. Like that depth you could say that the author has intended.... Like I would like to know these other languages Arabic Korean Chinese Japanese French Spanish And like you suggested Latin....

[@sermon1984]

I would love a video on indian literature

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

It's in the pipeline :)

[@john005_]

Good god you mentioned vagabond. Thank you

[@janroubal3097]

Wheres my boi Dazai :(

[@WanderwithJon]

Was waiting for him too.

[@nathanburr5036]

What are your thoughts on Ryu Murakami?... have you read or liked any of his books? I read most his work, I find his endings aren't the greatest. However the social and philosophical commentary he intertwines into his characters commentary is fascinating, like In the Miso Soup, Audtion and even 69. I have to say 69 is enjoyable if you haven't read it, light hearted and actually fun.

[@ROXCANADA2023]

I haven't listened to you lately but I love your videos

[@BenRogersWPG]

Excellent recommendations! Added so many to Goodreads to-read. Thanks so much

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Ben! Happy reading :)

[@bernardozavala8731]

Hi, Benjamin! I really enjoy your videos and recommendations! Would you also recommend Tale of Genji for japanese literature?

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Bernardo :) Yes, absolutely! I'm actually reading The Tale of Genji at the moment. I picked up a lovely two volume set from a secondhand bookstore. Wonderful story!

[@Beatrice_Stefanie0203]

Thank you for your recommendations. Have you ever read anything written by Kenzabure Oe ? After Yasunari Kawabata he was the second Japanese Nobelprice awarded Author.

[@ceciliasarthe6389]

hi!! what 1950s-1960s authors would you recommend? Are there women writers in this period as well? Thank you for your video!

[@MP-cv6if]

Three seconds in and I'm already smiling You've got good taste in music

[@LunaDracula]

Please i forgot the name of that song playing in the background

[@pennelini]

Ue wo muite arukou

[@bellamaz1972]

Good recommendations! Dunno if this’ll be seen but I find myself wondering if you have thoughts on Shogun, which is my pop culture audiobook during chores these days (sorry if it’s been addressed in another video I just discovered this channel). I’d say so far (am roughly halfway thru) it’s the equivalent to a “popcorn film”, though at least in parts chauvinistic in the broader meaning of the word…

[@roseforeuropa]

timestamps

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

I wonder what will happen to the psychogeography genre in the future-- I mean FAR into the future when all the High Streets are mere shadows of what they were pre-internet and small businesses all struggle to exist due to everybody doing most of their shopping online. What will keep people attached to their 'hometown', their neighbourhood, exactly? What kind of charming little neighbourhoods will exist on planet Earth, what will they be comprised of? What will the streets contain if not small restaurants, boutiques, workshops and other services? How will people interact in the day to day with other humans in their immediate environs, again, considering how much is moving online? My first consideration when thinking about what would impact this field of memoir & literature the most was obviously online commerce and the option of home delivery. What kind of connections to a neighbourhood will people have when everything seems to be online and independent small businesses are all closing one after the other? I love seeing these little shops and restaurants in Japan but I wonder what the next 100 years holds for humans with regards to connection to others, to neighbourhoods, to tradition...y'know in the day-to-day, not in the world of abstract projections. Japanese authors always have a psychogeographic element to their works, whether they consciously intend to or not which I find so heart-warming, so richly textured and of enormous value both personally but also as archival recordings. So I find this a very sad area of thought. What will a memoir or novel in the psychogeography genre possibly be in the year 2300 when we'll all have headsets, phones, screens sutured to our wrists and various microchip implants, all getting twisted with our dealings with each other due to living in this bizarre online world for most of our time, LOL?! God, it's kind of dark, I can't help but laugh, y'know? Is anybody else as fascinated by human development and the emotional connections made with one's surroundings as I am, I wonder? Great channel. I love Japan and I'm a voracious reader in general, but Japanese literature has been my 'thing' this year. I really enjoyed your video. Thanks for making it. You inspired me to think.

[@user-xh6ju3pg8c]

Its true

[@inspirationlab1444]

What's that playing in the back....? And yeah I got into Japanese literature maybe around 2010...but not so deep...well not until 2017...ans not just Japanese but Korean ... I mean the whole Eastern Literature journey was amazing. It was that eastern literature was more relatable to me as I am from South Asia. On the other hand American and European literature is not as relatable as Asian... I mean not that one os superior to another but I mean like you said in one of your videos that you( Benjamin) have not the same understanding of the eastern literature as you have of the British Literature or European Literature. However we actually have read a lot of British, European and American literature from the very beginning, so we have a better grasp of western literature more than our own. On the other hand when we get(although not most of us do) closer to our Eastern and South Asian literature, we really enjoy it, as we feel more at home with them. That is my journey. I am only 24 right now but probably going to learn a lot and read a lot along with you... And would really like to talk to you one day.... Would really love it if you'd upload like more often but ofcourse it takes a lot of time.... Sorry...just rambling on..... And just wanted to ask.... Are you related to James McEvoy?... ( Professor X from X men)

[@BobLikesPizza99]

Naomi by Tanizaki

[@Cunningstunts23]

What a dream to live in Japan

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I miss it every day!

[@harshi0.0]

Can you please tell me where can i get the Original novel "Grave of fireflies" in English?

[@スエハルクロハ]

(Sorry about my bad english, but I desperately want to tell you) To be honest as a Japanese, It’s always annoying me that Japanese literature translated into English don’t maintain their pristine beauty which they originally have, because of the language barrier, not the cultural differences, I think. You can easily make it sense if you are even slightly familiar with Japanese language, just about the characters for instance it has kanji, hiragana,katakana, and besides there’s a tons of words which create the beautiful juxtaposition, singular style and exuberance ideological beauty, such as Radiguet(French), Rilke(Austria), Dannunzio(Italy) etc. It’s kinda pompous but I believe japanese is one of the most beautiful languages if it’s written by great authors. So I could go so far as to say many Japanese literatures are underrated or unexplored. I’m gonna show you such modern authors here. Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata, Junichiro Tanizaki, Taruho Inagaki, Kobo Abe, Takeo Arishima, Konosuke Hinatsu, Kenzaburo Ohe, Ohgai Mori, Tatsuo Hori, Kyoka Izumi, Riichi Yokomitsu, Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, Sakutaro Ogiwara, Michizo Tatehara, Rinzo Sheena, Shizuo Itoh.

[@commentarytalk1446]

Agree, it does appear to be a lot of the indirectness is derived from the Kanji which are evocative of symbolism apart from direct meaning. I've not sufficient knowledge of the language to say any more. Also as the video author here points out: 空気を読む kūki wo yomu = "Read The Air". Probably in the UK at least about 1950-1960s people still did use indirect expressions more and there was still a sense of a unified order but since then that's all gone and US culture of direct and blunt use of communication and weaker use of language proliferates. Thank you for the authors list of recommendations: It is very practical; I recognize a few of them and have yet to discover the others. To return the favour: In English, for an understanding of Japanese Culture from an English/US perspective: "A Japanese Mirror" by Ian Buruma though for a native Japanese it might be mostly a curiosity of how others perceive the Japanese culture, not necessarily how the culture is to the Japanese themselves.

[@スエハルクロハ]

@@commentarytalk1446 I really appreciate your reply. Thank you so much! Im diffinetly going to read your recomendation. I have never heard about the indirect expression which you refer to over the course of the 50 to 60s in UK. Even though it was the bygone era, it's supplysingly good news to me, because I have believed(or i might have to say longed for) the power of great and awe-inspiring Germanic history, and then European people still had chivary in spirit when i saw the word in "Bushido" by Inazo Nitobe. Ah, around 1960s is a dreamy bygone era for me because i like music at that stage as well, the Beatles, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones and so forth.( Music, in my opinion, is not art though. I may be an ideologist of art for art's sake and of aestheticism like W.B Yates , especially literature-wise. I like Bob Dylan's songs but his Nobel prize does not sit with me.) Also I want to return your favor, so out of the list I refer to or whatever, I will reply the information to you if you would like.

[@ascensionvaldes1412]

very interesting videos❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@CandyChantelle]

I'd love a video on Italian Lit!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Great suggestion! Thanks for the request, Candy. I'll happily oblige, especially as I'm currently learning Italian for my next language - fingers crossed travel becomes easier so I can get in a trip to the Uffizi in Florence :)

[@CandyChantelle]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Awesome! I didn't plan very well and missed the Uffizi when I was in Italy last year. Florence is such a dream.

[@tiffanygallaher7557]

I just read The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and would love to hear your take on it. I found the final chapters of the novel to be very powerful.

[@macs7468]

@@tiffanygallaher7557 The film adaptation is great, too :)

[@briancoveney3080]

Manga: Did you get to "Chew" ?

[@vojajin6686]

Where is my boy Shinichi Hoshi

[@indie8189]

I like Dance Dance Dance