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Bungaku - Literature

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You will find here my reading recommendations of Japanese literature and books on Japan. Enjoy yourself !
 

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My recommendations

 
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The Roads to Sata : a 2000 miles journey through Japan, by Alan Booth, Kodansha.
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Looking for the Lost, by Alan Booth, Kodansha.
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Tokyo Confidential, edited by Mark Schreiber, the East Publications
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Other good books related to Japan
 
Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)
 
"Kokoro"
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"Japan: An Anthology of His Writings on the Country and Its People"
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Liza Crihfield Dalby
 
"Geisha"
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"Kimono"
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"The Tale of Murasaki"
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Modern Literature
 
Yoshimoto Banana (1964- )
 
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Famous modern writers
 
Click on the author name for Encyclopedia article, on the book title to read the review and on the picture to order the book from Amazon.
 
Soseki Natsume (1867-1916)
 
"Botchan"
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"Kokoro"
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Tanizaki Junichiro (1886-1965)
 
"Seven Japanese Tales"
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"Naomi"
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Kawabata Yasunari (1899-1972)
Nobel Prize winner (1968)
 
"Snow country"
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"The Izu Dancer"
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"The Master of Go"
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Dazai Osamu (1909-48)
 
"No Longer Human"
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"The Setting Sun"
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Mishima Yukio (1925-70)
 
"Spring Snow"
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"The Temple of the Golden Pavillion"
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Oe Kenzaburo (1935- )
Nobel Prize winner (1994)
 
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"The Silent Cry : A Novel"
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Murakami Haruki (1949- )
 
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Murakami Ryu (1952- )
 
"Coin Locker Babies"
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Ancient Literature
 

The Tale of Genji ("Genji monogatari"), by Murasaki Shikibu is Japan's most famous book and the world first novel (written in 1010). A must for everyone interested in Japan, history or literature.

 
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The Tale of Heike tells the story of the war between the Taira (Heike) and Minamoto (Genji) clans in one of Japan's greatest epic.

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Classics
 
Bushido: The Soul of Japan ("the way of the warrior"), by Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933). Written in 1900, it's still the best guide to Japanese ethos, based on Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and generations of samurai and sages. Inazo compare Japanese values and moral code to Western ones from Ancient Greece and the Bible to modern philosophers.
 
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Online reading

The Questia Online Library offers thousands of free books, journals, newspapers, magazines and enyclopedia articles on any subjects. Search it to find documents related to Japan or Japanese literature. I have selected a few for you.
 
Murasaki Shikibu
 
 
Lafcadio Hearn
 
 
 
 
 

Other online readings
 
This site is a guided tour through Tsugaru (Aomori Prefecture), based on the famous, highly autobiographical travelogue by Osamu Dazai. Learn about the writer and his native region.
 
"I worked as a modern-style geisha and learned how to fake being in love, but after becoming addicted to the attention, I learned that the money wasn't worth destroying my soul."