/lit/ - Literature

Tale of Heike, Genji Monogatari, Kokoro, Samurai, I am a Cat.

Nothing. Because I'm not an incel.

whatever by that gay samurai nazi

>>13126729
>but the literature from Japan isn't as sought-after or in the mainstream
Haruki Murakami is mainstream.

ive read Mishima - Sailor who... and Dazai - No Longer Human, and boh were shi-ite!
I am gonna read Kokoro in the next days but if that doesn’t pique any interest I am giving up on japanese literature, and will gladly admit that their anime is higher art than their literature (as a backhanded compliment)

Hiromi Kawakami - either Manazuru or The Briefcase. Both are supremely chill books

I loved Dazai in the settling sun

>>13126823
>Tale of Heike
>Genji Monogatari

Why would you use the Japanese title for only one of them? Either use English for both or the Japanese, monogatari literally means "tale of" or "the story of".

t. weeb

>>13127180
I speak Japanese, so I don't really care either way.

i like ryu murukami because i'm edgy

>>13127205
I found that novel really disappointing. People recommended me it because I was looking for deranged and fucked up novels but it never actually goes all that far and doesn't really lead to anything. Felt like the story never got a proper conclusion and it just ended before things truly got morbid.

>>13127218
congratulations on how especially edgy you are

>>13126729
Mishima, especially Decay of the Angel. Cuz of the cold, warped Aestheticism.

>>13127006
What didn't you like ? I'm a huge weeb, so I may be able to give a hint what to go for.

>>13127218
If you like fucked up, try Grotesque.

Just finished this

Im not sure what to think now.

>a dozen Japanese literature threads a day
>rarely ever any Chinese literature thread, despite China having some absolute masterpieces
Weebs

>>13126729
Read Villon's Wife by Dazai (longer short story, you can do it in one day.)
Natsume Soseki (Botchan for humor, Kokoro for despair)
>>13127006
fighting words

>>13128251
botchan is probably the best intro to soseki because it's funny as shit and pretty relatable (stuck up administrators and scheming sycophants are universal experiences)

>>13127842
Start with the big four?

>>13126981
great gif. that's either mizuyaki or murikami or mishima. or some shit like that. i haven't read any jap authors, but this thread interests me

>>13128539
>big four
which would be?

>>13128574
A Dream of Red Mansions/Story of the Stone (I usually use the former title since it's aesthetic)
Journey to the West
Water Margin/Outlaws of the Marsh
Romance of the Three Kingdoms

A Dream of Red Mansions is pretty much China's Ulysses. There's an entire field of scholarship devoted to it. It's an absolute masterpiece, detailing the decline of a family and a sprawling romance, that you can get absolutely immersed in. It's just a shame that nobody on this board is interested in reading it, since the translations of it are actually quite good

>>13128727
Thank you!

>>13128727
I'm interested in reading old chink literature, they just seem very, very heavy and expensive.

>>13127501
Don't buy the American version (Knopf/Vintage), they removed shit because it was too 'controversial'.

>>13128727
Yeah dream of red mansions seems cool but Water Margin is a chill title so...

>>13126729
Without understanding the influence of Zen Buddhism on his work, this novel could seem boring. What *isn't* said is of great significance. And Oyone seems like a great wife.

>>13128574
Dream of the red chambre, Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West and Water Margin.

>>13128869
DUDE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Chinese_Novels

>>13129154
Yeah, Water Margin is an amazing title. Dream of Red Mansions is the closest to a modernist book, though, so I imagine thos board would enjoy it more. It's very interesting how modern the book is for the year it was written in, actually.

Tale of Genji. Waley's translation.

>>13127006
I'm not too huge on Japanese literature, but those are all fantastic books. If you don't at least like Kokoro, I'm not sure what to say

>>13128565
Seven Samurai by Kurosawa. Decent movies, worth watching.

1Q84 is all you need, it's like an allegory for the entire history of Japan

>>13129556
Oh, I just came to this thread to ask about recommended translation of this novel.
Is Waley's interpretation good for non-native English speaker?

>>13127833
did u like it?

Kawabata

>>13128251
>Botchan
>Funny
I found it to be infuriating. It’s overly realistic in its portrayal of how teachers interact.

I read The Master of Go because I like go. I enjoyed it greatly. It's probably worth reading even without much knowledge of go.

>>13128727
Which translations for each of them?

>>13131483

Yes. It was a bit of a slog. I work full time and have two kids but this took a ridiculously long time to read. I'm embarrassed to actually state how long but.. It was too long.

Don't know what to do next

>>13132145
For A Dream of Red Mansions, you want the David Hawkes translation. He has a great understanding of the text and is very passionate about the book. The penguin edition uses his translation. Can't really help you out much with the other 3. Any well known translation should be fine. The few people who undertake the massive task of translating these novels generally have a very good grasp on what they're doing, so it's honestly hard to go wrong.

>>13134148
>>13132145
Forgot to mention that for the David Hawkes translation, I had a native Chinese friend who has read the original check it out, and she told me that it was great and close to the original meaning.

The only notable issue with the translation is that the poetry isn't as great as it could be, but that's understandable since translating Chinese poetry is notoriously difficult

>>13127204
>if you don't have an excuse to make a mistake then it's logical
no

>>13127842
We have tons of China threads and a comprehensive Chinese lit chart. You're just pissed the superior literature culture won.

>>13128727
Is this version good?

>>13134561
It's fantastic, but keep in mind that it's an abridged version. It's a great translation and will give you a good idea on whether or not you want to tackle the complete version

>>13134227
it sounds better than
>x monogatari
>x monogatari
or
>tale of x
>tale of x

>>13127180
Imagine caring

>>13128251
>Natsume Soseki (Botchan for humor, Kokoro for despair)
I've already read those and now Im thinking of reading 'I am a cat'. Have you read it? If so, would you recommend it?

>>13131502
>It’s overly realistic
>saying that like it's a bad thing
the point is to be infuriated at the pettiness of people
>>13131495
thousand cranes and snow country are good. thousand reminds me of mori ogai's wild geese.
>>13134924
>>13127180
take your autism pills, karl.
>>13135401
>Have you read it?
yes. it's funny and self-depreciating but not as good as his other work. kokoro is a masterpiece.

>Japanese
>people

>>13126729
the short stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927)
he wrote Rashomon and In a Bamboo Grove, which were the narrative basis for Kurosawa's film, Rashomon
imagine a sensitive mind raised in traditional Japanese culture, then compulsively confronting the most profound and radical Western literature and philosophy and having his mind blown by it, but also suffering tremendously from this cultural "first contact"
there's a ferocious energy to his writing. I get the sense of a pioneer discovering entirely new avenues of thought and expression, and introducing them to his culture for the first time.
there's a good reason why the most prestigious literature award in Japan is called the "Akutagawa Prize" - read him and find out

>>13135586
He commit suicide
And he friend commit sefakku

>>13127842
Who would want to read anything written by those bug people. The Chinese is an abomination between the coldness of the Jap and greed of the Jew

>>13127454
I haven't read any of his novels except Confessions of a Mask, but his short story collection Death in Midsummer is excellent. Patriotism is perhaps the most powerful single story I've read in modern Japanese literature

>>13135622
This. Chinks are unironically garbage people.

>>13126729
Most things by Nisioisin are a pretty nice read.

I have only read Musashi from Eiji Yoshikawa, an excellent book by the way.