Three Japanese Short Stories

A fine opportunity is presented to read 3 short stories by accomplished Japanese authors.The first story is fascinating because it speaks of the culture and a western thinking reader will learn a good deal about honour and status. Like a prodigal son without the means to fulfil their potential.The self awareness of the returning boy is painful; but the descriptive narrative marks out this stories worth.The second story is also about unfulfilled potential despite having the academic skills to succeed. Our protagonist is sidetracked by dreams of writing for a living. Even when a rich relative steps in to help the lad, indifference and lack of perseverance thwarts any financial assistance. He has earned a poor degree in law doing the least amount of work and learns little of practical value to enter the profession. Not that this is his desire - he wants to write fairy tales.He dreams his life away; talks a good future in his sleep but had no direction to walk the walk when awake.The third story is very short and is a cautionary tale in a country’s pride and patriotism - this is the hardest one to equate with one’s usual reading experience.It is always good to push literary ideas and leave the familiar behind. Japan has a rich heritage in writing this small book make that closer and more accessible.

This is a member of the Penguin Moderns series, which are true pocket-sized books. It has 50 small pages. There is no introduction or background information, just three short stories of various lengths from early twentieth-century Japan (1).The last story is the most impressive and the shortest. “General Kim” by Akutagawa is a bloodthirsty piece of fictional folklore with a moral attached. The other two stories are much longer and feature inaction rather than action. They both seem to be early twentieth century precursors to that modern Japanese behaviour of the young to isolate themselves in the family home. (2)In the first story, “Behind the Prison” by Nagai, a young man returns from his travels abroad. He cannot decide on a profession to take and cannot take a menial job because it would not be acceptable to his family. The family home has a spare bedroom and that is where he bases himself. The title of the short story refers to the prison that has been built next to the family home as part of the inexorable expansion of Toyo into the countryside. He can leave his own prison, but never goes far.In the second story, “Closet LLB” by Uno, concerns a young man who has reluctantly gained a law degree, but has always wanted to be a writer, and for a time supported himself by writing for popular publications. Now he has turned in on himself to the extent that he no longer puts his bedding on the floor each day, but leaves it in the closet and sleeps there. (3)___________________________________________________________________(1) The three short stories are “Behind the Prison” (25 pages) by Nagai Kafū (1879 – 1959); “Closet LLB” (18 pages) by Uno Kōji (1891 – 1961); “General Kim” (7 pages) by  Akutagawa Ryūnosuke  (1892 – 1927). The blurb on the back of the book reads “Three beguiling, strange, funny and hair-raising tales of imprisonment, memory and atrocity from early twentieth-century Japan. The stories are from the  Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories .(2) The Japanese call it  Hikikomori , where there is a withdrawal from society.(3) “Sansaku’s style of sleeping deserves special mention. His small tatami-matted room has the standard small, deep closet divided by a sturdy shelf into upper and lower compartments for storing his futon and covers behind a pair of sliding paper doors, but Sensaku long ago decided that it was too much trouble to open the closet door and pull the bedding out every day to spread it on the tatami. Instead he cleared out the upper compartment and now keeps his futon spread out permanently on the shelf. He sleeps in the closet with the doors open and never has to make his bed.” (pages 32/33) Akutagawa RyūnosukePenguin Book of Japanese Short StoriesHikikomori

I am not familiar with Japanese literature. Love the films of Akira Kurosawa, enjoy the films of Kobayashi and I like a lot of Ichikawa - but I can't do Ozu and Mizoguchi, so I thought I'd give these a go.Interesting. Quite liked the contrasts between West and East in the first one, and the contrast between the metaphorical prison and the real one.Equally, there were bits of the second one about a terminal sponger that reminded of some of my old university & drama school friends Again, there's that idea of withdrawing from society & life.The third one was kinda like a folktale/myth. Didn't really rock my world.Can't say I'm going to plunge into Japanese writing - but quite glad I made the try and it's quite a nice introduction to whole new canon of writing.

not the best stories written, but i thoroughly enjoyed them. the book is small and easy to carry on the go, even in your pocket.

Good value