SilentRealm:
Hey! You did great on that! The only mistake is that it should be "dou itashimashite." And it is usually the equivalent of "You're welcome."
Divine Wings of Tragedy:
Hmmmm...I've never heard of the word "paga." Could it be "baka?" It means "stupid," "idiot," or "fool." In that case, SilentRealm needs to get mad at you.
KBR:
Here is a list of some recommended books that have been translated into English. (Some of them have been translated into a number of other languages as well.) They're all relatively accessible for the first-time J-lit reader. The names of the authors are last name first, following Japanese custom.
Endo Shusaku. Considered one of the top Japanese writers of the 20th century.
Silence-Probably Endo's best known book. It deals with the apostasy of a Jesuit priest in early 17th century Japan, and the issue of why God lets people suffer.
The Sea and Poison-One of Endo's earlier works. It deals with a doctor who was involved in the vivisection and experimentation on American POWs near the end of WWII.
Wonderful Fool-A lighter work. A clutzy but good-hearted French man goes to Japan and helps people.
Murakami Haruki. One of the current top-selling Japanese writers. Sells well in the US and Europe.
A Wild Sheep Chase-One of the better known of Murakami's earlier work. An odd, surreal story.
Norwegian Wood,
Sputnik Sweetheart-Two of Murakami's more realistic books.
Norwegian Wood was his breakout hit. (
Sputnik Sweetheart was translated by a professor in my department, by the way.)
Yoshimoto Banana-One of the top-selling women writers in Japan. Quite a bit of her novels have been translated.
Kitchen-Yoshimoto's breakout hit.
Natsume Soseki-One of the great late 19th/early20th century writers, and one of the most influential. His portrait graces the front of one piece of Japanese currency.
Kokoro-Considered to be his great classic. A bit dark, but thought-provoking.
Oe Kenzaburo-Nobel prize winner. Not really a surrealist, but his world and style are both kind of weird. Usually easier to understand in translation than in the original Japanese. (Oe has made that comment a number of times.) His most recent work,
Somersault, was also translated by the aforementioned professor in my department.
The Silent Cry is another of his well-known works.
Murasaki Shikibu-Early 11th century writer.
The Tale of Genji is a massive book, but is the piece of classical Japanese literature that everybody HAS to read. I would recommend the Seidensticker or Tyler translation.
Mishima Yukio, Tanizaki Junichiro, Shiga Naoya, Mori Ogai, Kawabata Yasunari, and Inoue Yasushi are some of the other respected writers that have been translated. (Mishima especially has been translated quite extensively.)
There is some really great humorous Japanese literature, but almost none of it has been translated. I'm working on some of it, so it might be out there in the next couple of years...or later...
