Kaleidoscope Japan

A totally biased recommendation...

A bit late in posting today (I usually post at 9am, Saturday morning for those in other time zones) because I was in the middle of an academic paper and really didn’t want to lose my train of thought. My own fault for leaving it so late, but no real harm done, I hope.

I want to bring to your attention a really cool new book about Japanese literature, Kaleidoscope Japan: A nation through the lens of literature by Richard Nathan. This isn’t a review as I have skin in the game here: I was Richard’s editor on this project and therefore I think only Richard can be more biased than me. Still, I think it’s pretty awesome.

I first got to know Richard through his amazing press, Red Circle. He publishes Japanese literature in translation in the Red Circle Minis series. There have been seven to date, all brilliant. I love the idea of publishing short stories/novellas individually so these were right up my street and I repeatedly said so in The Japan Times and elsewhere.

For years Richard has published essays on the Red Circle website about various aspects of Japanese literature. Some are in-depth studies of the roots of certain trends across the centuries, while others are more fun dives into the Japanese literary scene. At a certain point he decided to take these essays, expand them, write a bunch more, and turn it into a book. Once he had a draft, he brought me on board to do what editors do: beat the text into shape, work on the structure, themes, and messages of the book. This we did in the second half of 2023 and it has to be one of the most fun editing jobs I’ve ever had. Japanese literature is a real passion for both of us, and the usual editing obstacles aside, the book was a joy to work on.

Now it’s out in the world. It’s aimed at both people new to Japanese literature and those who have spent years swimming in its waters, a hard task but one we achieved. It’s fun, informative (I learned a lot!), and an easy read. Since it is linked essays, you can dip in and out or read front to back, whatever takes your fancy. As I said, I’m biased, but I think it’s a remarkable book and one worth your time and money. Available from the publisher, all good bookshops (if it’s not on the shelves you can ask them to order it) and from that online behemoth. Below is the official press release: