The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories.
Edited by Theodore W. Goossen.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
(The book was reissued in 2010 with a new cover but the contents appear the same as the 1997 version.)
Book Information : Publisher;
Google Books;
Amazon.com, 1997;
Amazon.com, 2010.
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Editor Information :
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Wikipedia Articles : Japanese Literature
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Contents of The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories :
- Mori Ōgai (1862–1922), "Sanshō the Steward," 1915.
From: Mori Ōgai, The Incident at Sakai and Other Stories, Translated by J. Thomas Rimer, University of Hawaii Press, 1977.
- Natsume Sōseki (1867–1916), "The Third Night," 1908.
From: Natsume Sōseki, Ten Nights of Dream, Hearing Things, The Heredity of Taste, Translated by Aiko Ito and Graeme Wlson, Tuttle, 1974.
Some recently in-print translations of Ten Nights of Dreams:
- Natsume Sōseki, Ten Nights' Dreams, Translated by Takumi Kashima and Loretta R. Lorenz, Trafford Publishing, 2006.
- Natsume Sōseki, Ten Nights Dreaming and The Cat's Grave, Translated by Matt Trevyaud, Dover Publications, 2015.
- Natsume Sōseki, Ten Nights' Dreams and Our Cat's Grave, Translated by Sankichi Hata and Dofu Shirai, Zea Books (University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries), 2022.
- Kunikida Doppo (1871–1908), "The Bonfire," 1896.
The Oxford anthology translation of "The Bonfire" by Jay Rubin was previously published in Monumenta Nipponica, 1970.
"The Bonfire" is also included in:
- Kunikida Doppo, River Mist and Other Stories, Translated by David Chibbett, Kent: Paul Norbury, 1983.
[Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Higuchi Ichiyō (1872–1896), "Separate Ways," 1896.
From: Robert Danly, In the Shade of Spring Leaves: The Life of Higuchi Ichiyō with Nine of Her Best Short Stories, W.W. Norton & Co., 1981.
- Nagai Kafū (1879–1959), "The Peony Garden," 1909.
From: Edward Seidensticker, Kafu the Scribbler: The Life and Times of Nagai Kafū, 1879–1959, Stanford University Press, 1965.
- Shiga Naoya (1883–1971), "Night Fires," 1920.
The English translation of "Night Fires" by Ted Goossen was first published in the Oxford anthology.
An English translation of collected stories by Shiga Naoya does exist but it does not appear to include "Night Fires":
- Tanizaki Jun'ichirō (1886–1965), "Aguri," 1922.
From: Tanizaki Jun'ichirō, Seven Japanese Tales, Translated by Howard Hibbett, Alfred A. Knopf, 1963; Vintage Books, 1996.
- Satomi Ton (1888–1983), "Blowfish," 1913.
Previously published in Descant 75, Winter 1991-1992; Translated by Ted Goossen.
The only other work by Satomi Ton in English translation I have found so far is "The Camellia" in:
- Modern Japanese Short Stories, Edited by Ivan Morris, Tuttle Publishing, 2019
(First published as Modern Japanese Stories: An Anthology in 1962 or 1963).
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Okamoto Kanoko (1889–1939), "Portrait of an Old Geisha," 1939.
The English translation of "Portrait of an Old Geisha" by Cody Poulton was first published in the Oxford anthology.
Other works by Okamoto Kanoko are available in English translation. For example:
- Okamoto Kanoko, The House Spirit and Other Stories, Translated by Kazuko Sugisaki, Capra Press, 1995.
(Includes the story "The Old Geisha", possibly the same story as "Portrait of an Old Geisha"?)
- Okamoto Kanoko, "A Mother's Love" in Rabbits, Crabs, Etc.: Stories by Japanese Women, Translated by Phyllis Birnbaum, University of Hawaii Press, 1984.
- Modern Japanese Tanka: An Anthology, Translated by Makoto Ueda, Columbia University Press, 1996.
- Okamoto Kanoko, "A Riot of Goldfish" [1937] in Kingyo: The Artistry of Japanese Goldfish, Kodansha, 2004.
- Okamoto Kanoko, A Riot of Goldfish, Translated by J. Keith Vincent, Hesperus Press, 2011.
- Okamoto Kanoko, A Buddhist Life Reader, Translated by Marcello Rotondo, 2022.
- Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (1892–1927), "In a Grove," 1922.
From: Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Rashomon and Other Tales, Translated by Takashi Kojima, Liveright Publishing Corporation, 1952; Tuttle, 2018.
- Miyazawa Kenji (1896–1933), "The Bears of Nametoko," 1927.
From: Miyazawa Kenji, Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa, Translated by John Bester, Kodansha International Ltd., 1993; New York Review of Books Classics, 2018.
- Yokomitsu Riichi (1898–1947), "Spring Riding in a Carriage," 1926.
From: Yokomitsu Riichi, 'Love' and Other Stories of Yokomitsu Riichi, Translated by Dennis Keene, University of Tokyo Press, 1974.
- Ibuse Masuji (1898–1993), "Carp," 1926.
From: Ibuse Masuji, Salamander and Other Stories, Translated by John Bester, Kodansha International Ltd., 1981.
- Kawabata Yasunari (1899–1972), "The Izu Dancer," 1926.
The Edward G. Seidensticker translation of "The Izu Dancer" appearing in the Oxford anthology is said to be the first unabridged English translation of the story.
However, in 1997 another unabridged English translation was published in:
- Kajii Motojirō (1901–1932), "Lemon," 1925.
The English translation of "Lemon" by Robert Ulmer was first published in the Oxford anthology.
Many stories by Kajii Motojirō in English translation may be found in:
- Hayashi Fumiko (1903–1951), "The Accordion and the Fish Town," 1931.
The English translation of "The Accordion and the Fish Town" by Janice Brown was first published in the Oxford anthology.
Some other works by Hayashi Fumiko available in English translation include:
- "Bangiku" ["A Late Chrysanthemum" or "Late Chrysanthemum"], 1948; in A Late Chrysanthemum: Twenty-one Stories from the Japanese, Translated by Lane Dunlop, North Point Press, 1986; Tuttle, 1988.
[Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Hayashi Fumiko, Floating Clouds [1951], Translated by Lane Dunlop, Columbia University Press, 2006.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Enchi Fumiko (1905–1986), "The Flower-Eating Crone," 1974.
The English translation of "The Flower-Eating Crone" by Lucy North was first published in the Oxford anthology.
Some other works by Enchi Fumiko available in English translation include:
- Enchi Fumiko, The Waiting Years [1957], Translated by John Bester, Kodansha International, 1971; London: Vintage Classics, 2019.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Enchi Fumiko, Masks [1958], Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter, Alfred A. Knopf (Random House) / Vintage Books, 1983.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Enchi Fumiko, A Tale of False Fortunes [1965], Translated by Roger K. Thomas, University of Hawaii Press, 2000.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Enchi Fumiko, "A Bond for Two Lifetimes - Gleanings" [short story], in Rabbits, Crabs, Etc.: Stories by Japanese Women, Translated by Phyllis Birnbaum, University of Hawaii Press, 1984.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Enchi Fumiko, "Love in Two Lives: The Remnant" [short story], in Japanese Women Writers: Twentieth Century Short Fiction, Translated by Noriko Mizuta Lippit and Kyoko Iriye Selden, M.E. Sharpe, 1991; Routledge, 2015.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Hirabayashi Taiko (1905–1972), "Blind Chinese Soldiers," 1946.
From: Japanese Women Writers: Twentieth Century Short Fiction, Translated by Noriko Mizuta Lippit and Kyoko Iriye Selden, M.E. Sharpe, 1991; Routledge, 2015.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
The only other work by Hirabayashi Taiko available in English translation that I have found so far is:
- Hirabayashi Taiko, "Demon Goddess," in The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature: Volume 2: 1945 to the Present, Edited by J. Thomas Rimer and Van C. Gessel, Columbia University Press, 2007.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Sakaguchi Ango (1906–1955), "In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom," 1947.
The English translation of "In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom" by Jay Rubin was first published in the Oxford anthology.
For more about Sakaguchi Ango one might turn to:
- James Dorsey and Douglas Slaymaker, Literary Mischief: Sakaguchi Ango, Culture, and the War, Lexington Books (Rowman & Littlefield), 2010.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Inoue Yasushi (1907–1991), "Passage to Fudaraku," 1961.
From: Inoue Yasushi, Lou-Lan and Other Stories, Translated by James Araki, Kodansha, 1980.
- Dazai Osamu (1909–1948), "Merry Christmas," 1947.
From: Dazai Osamu, Self-Portraits: Stories, Translated by Ralph McCarthy, Kodansha, 1991; New Directions, 2024.
- Nakajima Atsushi (1909–1942), "The Expert," 1942.
"The Expert", translated by Ivan Morris in the Oxford anthology (from Encounter, 1958), appears more recently under the title "The Master" by a different translator in:
- Kojima Nobuo (1915–2006), "The Rifle," 1952.
Included in: Kojima Nobuo, Long Belts and Thin Men: The Postwar Stories of Kojima Nobuo, Translated by Lawrence Rogers, Kurodahan Press, 2016.
- Endō Shūsaku (1923–1996), "Unzen," 1965.
From: Endō Shūsaku, Stained Glass Elegies, Translated by Van C. Gessel, Peter Owen Ltd., 1984; Dodd, Mead & Company, 1987; New Directions, 1990.
- Abe Kōbō (1924–1993), "The Bet," 1960.
From: Abe Kōbō, Beyond the Curve, Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter, Kodansha International Ltd., 1991.
- Yoshiyuki Junnosuke (1924–1994), "Three Policemen," 1974.
From: Seven Stories of Modern Japan, Translated by Hugh Clarke, Wild Peony, 1991.
[Google Books; Amazon.com]
- Mishima Yukio (1925–1970), "Onnagata," 1957.
From: Mishima Yukio, Death in Midsummer and Other Stories, Translated by Donald Keene, New Directions, 1966
- Kōno Taeko (1926–2015), "Toddler-Hunting," 1961.
From: Kōno Taeko, Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories, Translated by Lucy North, New Directions, 1996.
- Mukōda Kuniko (1929–1981), "Mr Carp," 1985.
From: Mukōda Kuniko, The Name of the Flower, Translated by Tomone Matsumoto, Stone Bridge Press, 1994.
- Kaikō Takeshi (1930–1989), "The Duel," 1968.
From: Kaikō Takeshi, Five Thousand Runaways, Translated by Cecilia Segawa Seigle, Dodd, Mead & Company, 1987; Peter Owen, 1994.
- Ōe Kenzaburō (1935–2023), "Prize Stock," 1957.
From: Ōe Kenzaburō, Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness, Translated by John Nathan, Grove Press, 1977.
The story was also published as "The Catch" in The Catch and Other War Stories, Kodansha, 1981.
- Tsushima Yūko (1947–2016), "A Very Strange, Enchanted Boy," 1985.
The English translation of "A Very Strange, Enchanted Boy" by Geraldine Harcourt was previously published in Descant 89, Summer 1995.
Several novels by Tsushima Yūko have been published in English translation.
- Murakami Haruki (b. 1949), "The Elephant Vanishes," 1987.
From: Murakami Haruki, The Elephant Vanishes, Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin, Alfred A. Knopf, 1993; Vintage International, 1994.
- Shimada Masahiko (b. 1961), "Desert Dolphin," 1992.
The English translation of "Desert Dolphin" by Kenneth Richard was previously published in Descant 89, Summer 1995.
Other works by Shimada Masahiko available in English translation include:
- Shimada Masahiko, Dream Messenger [1989], Translated by Philip Gabriel, Kodansha, 1992.
[Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Shimada Masahiko, Death By Choice [2003], Translated by Meredith McKinney, Anthem Press, 2013.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Shimada Masahiko, "A Callow Fellow of Jewish Descent," in New Japanese Voices: The Best Contemporary Fiction from Japan, Edited by Helen Mitsios, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1991.
[Google Books; Amazon.com.]
- Yoshimoto Banana (b. 1964), "Dreaming of Kimchee," 1992.
From: Yoshimoto Banana, Lizard, Translated by Ann Sherif, Grove/Atlantic, 1995; Washington Square Press, 1996; Grove Press, 2018.
[I assembled this Contents list partly in order to point to where one can find more short stories by a given author. Much of the basic information above comes from the Publisher's Acknowledgment section on pages 450-452 of the Oxford anthology. For some authors I could not find a separate book in English collecting the author's stories. For most authors simply entering an author's name into a search engine, such as
Amazon's Advanced Book Search, will show a number of works by that author in English translation. Sometimes I went out of my way to list some other works by authors who are older or less extensively published in English translation (that is, not for more well known names like Natsume Sōseki, Tanizaki, Akutagawa, Kawabata, Inoue, Dazai, Endō, Abe, Mishima, Ōe, Murakami, Yoshimoto).]
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The more recently published
The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories (2018) includes some authors who overlap with authors appearing in
The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories (1997) [Mori, Sōseki, Kunikida, Nagai, Tanizaki, Akutagawa, Kawabata, Enchi, Mishima, Kōno, Tsushima, Murakami, Yoshimoto], but there is
no overlap in the
stories included in the two anthologies.
The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories (1997) includes a helpful list of previously published [from 1994 and before, so now a little dated] English translation anthologies of short stories from Japan on page 447. There is also a Filmography on pages 448-449 listing some noteworthy films from Japan.
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