BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS FROM EAST ASIAN LITERATURE 101: JAPAN

    East Asian countries recently have started to spread all over the world in terms of their music, food, films as well as pieces of their literature. From Korea to China, the domination of East Asian countries has been felt anywhere in the world. In this 101 series, book recommendations chosen from East Asian literature will be shared. Thus, in this week’s article, the first East Asian country, as it is mentioned in the heading, is Japan which has one of the most unique cultures in the world. Although its influence especially in food sector can be seen by going to a sushi restaurant in the nearest shopping mall in your town, Japan indeed has to be credited with having some of the most outstanding and talented authors in the world. Therefore, in the article, a book recommendation list chosen from Japanese literature will be introduced.

1. THE SOUND OF WAVES BY YUKIO MISHIMA 

      The first book is The Sound of Waves written by Yukio Mishima. Firstly, Yukio Mishima is one of the most significant figures in Japanese literature. He was born in 1925 and died in 1970. He was a productive writer and considered by many critics as the most important Japanese novelist of the 20th century (Brittanica, 2021). In addition to this, The Sound of Waves is about a typical boy-meets-girl story. Shinji is a poor fisherman in Uta-Jima, a small island in Ise Bay. Hatsue leaves the island when she was young to be trained as a pearl diver. When she returns as a grown-up, Shinji falls for her but he has a rival: the rich and powerful Yasuo (Maloney, 2017). Yukio Mishima won the Shincho Prize in 1954 (Maloney, 2017). If you are a love story enthusiast, this book definitely needs to be given a chance.

2. STRANGE WEATHER IN TOKYO BY HIROMI KAWAKAMI   

    The second book is written by Hiromi Kawakami who was born in 1958. She is a Japanese writer and renowned for her offbeat fiction. (Wikipedia, 2018). Her novel “Strange Weather in Tokyo” is again about romance between a thirty-something saleswoman and an old Japanese teacher who was once her sensei. The story metaphorically explores the marriage between traditional Japan and the new corporate world of post-war Tokyo (Heath, 2020). Thus, if you like figurative expression, this book is written for you.

3. THE SILENT CRY BY KENZABURO OE 

The third book is The Silent Cry written by Kenzaburo Oe. His writings are mostly about political turmoil, social struggle, and the fight for change. The book tells a story of two brothers, Mitsusaburo and his borderline-eccentric younger brother Takashi who just returned to Tokyo from New York (Heath, 2021). The story begins with the return of the younger brother to the village where they spent most of their youth. They collaborate and compete at the same time with a Korean CEO also known as the emperor of supermarkets who desires to expand his empire (Heath, 2021). If one enjoys reading adventure novels, this book will meet his/her needs.

4. NORWEGIAN WOOD BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

The last book is written by Nobel winner Murakami. He was born in 1949 and is one of the most popular as well as eminent authors in Japanese literature (Haruki Murakami, Authors). In the novel, 37 years old Toru Watanabe hears a Beatles song that reminds him of his first two years at college in Tokyo, 1968-1970. The book is about romance in which a young man gets into a dilemma of loving two women at the same time (The Literary Elephant, 2019). It seems like it mentions an ordinary love story but its language, the expression of emotions, the tragedy behind the story are just some reasons why it should be read.

         To conclude, Japan has some of the most top line and unique pieces of literature in the world. Although its expanse in food sector has come to minds first for years, Japan started to take its first steps in the literature world. Thus, the Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima, the Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami, the Silent Cry by Kenzaburo Oe, and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami are the must read books not only for the brand new popularity of Japanese literature but also for getting to know one of the most unique cultures closely.

REFERENCES

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, January 10). “Mishima Yukio”. Encyclopedia Britannica.Available at https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yukio-Mishima

Heath, W. (2021).”34 Best Japanese Books (In 13 Genres) “.BooksandBao.Available at  https://booksandbao.com/japanese-literature-genres-where-to-get-started/

Heath, W. (2020).  “25 Best Japanese Books of All Time”.Jo Selects. Available at   https://japanobjects.com/features/japanese-books

The Literary Elephant (2019). Available at  https://literaryelephant.wordpress.com/2019/03/18/review-norwegian-wood/

Maloney, I. (2017). “The Sound of Waves’ stands alone in the sea of Yukio Mishima’s works”.Japan Times.Available at

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/02/04/books/book-reviews/sound-waves-stands-alone-sea-yukio-mishimas-works/

Murakami H. Author. Available at  https://www.harukimurakami.com/author

Wikipedia (2018). Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiromi_Kawakami