06.20.2003
a year ago, i took a japanese literature class as one of japanese major requirements. the stories that we read ranged from japan's heian period (794 to 1192) to the heisei period (1989 to today). i especially loved reading the earlier writings. something about the classics appeal to me. maybe because the lifestyle was so rich and colorful, when the "floating world" of the samurai and the geisha was still ever so prominent. there's just this elegance and beauty about it.
here's a review of my favorites. click on the images to find more information on the books at amazon.
kagerō nikki (the kagerō diary) by the mother of michitsuna.
sansho the steward by mori ogai.
omokage (the image) by takeda rintarō.
among the numerous short stories we read, we were also required to read shikibu murasaki's genji no monogatari (the tale of genji), one of the greatest achievements in japanese literature and the world's first novel. though, i never was able to finish the entire book (it's about 1120 pages), the story enthralled me. the story is an account of the court life during heian japan, focusing on genji, the "shining prince", and his amorous ventures. the book is available to purchase at amazon or can be read online at unesco.
compiled and edited by, donald keene, the anthology offers stories from the heian period to the mid-nineteenth century.
makura no sōshi (the pillow book) by sei shōnagon.
essays in idleness by yoshida kenkō.
edited by, theodore w. gossen, the oxford book, unlike the anthology, covers the modern era, from the ending of the nineteenth century to today.
the third night by sōseki natsume.
aguri by tanizaki junichiro.
in a grove by akutagawa ryūnosuke.
in the forest, under cherries in full bloom by sakaguchi ango.
translated and edited by, lawrence rogers (one of my professors at uh-hilo), tokyo stories includes stories depicting twentieth century tokyo.
ame no naka no funsui (fountains in the rain) by mishima yukio.
ichi no tori (the first day of the fair) by takeda rintarō.
azumabashi (azuma bridge) by nagai kafū.
muenbotoke (an unclaimed body) by ikeda michiko.
from behind the study door by sōseki natsume.
asa ga nido kuru (morning comes twice a day) by inaba mayumi.
one of my favorite books is by sōseki natsume, called kokoro (heart). i was actually introduced to his writing through jon. he had been required to read botchan (little master), one of sōseki's novels, for his asian studies class and had taken a likingto the author and picked up a couple of sōseki's other novels from the university's library. i read kokoro after finding a copy of it in jon's room. it is about a young man who befriends an older man who is referred to as sensei and about the younger man's struggle to learn about his friend's mysterious life. at the end, sensei's life is finally revealed, uncovering betrayal, guilt, and love.