The Cat Who Saved Books.
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai.
London: Picador (Pan Macmillan), 2021.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2023.
(Originally published in Japan by Shogakukan, 2017.)
Book Information : Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; Goodreads.
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Author Information :
- 夏川草介 [Sosuke Natsukawa, a pen name / psuedonym] (b. 1978), Wikipedia Japan.
- Sosuke Natsukawa, The Cat Who Saved Books, 2017, English translation 2021; Wikipedia English.
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Translator Information :
- Louise Heal Kawai, @quietmoonwave17, Twitter / X.
- Louise Heal Kawai, Words Without Borders [has a translation by Louise Heal Kawai].
- Louise Heal Kawai, Granta [has a couple translations by Louise Heal Kawai].
- Some other books translated by Louise Heal Kawai :
- Masateru Konishi, 小西マサテル (b. 1965), My Grandfather, the Master Detective [20##], English translation 2025.
- Sosuke Natsukawa, 夏川草介 (b. 1978), The Cat Who Saved the Library [20##], English translation 2025.
- Seicho Matsumoto (1909–1992), Point Zero [1959], English translation 2024.
- Rio Shimamoto (b. 1983), First Love [2018], English translation 2024.
- Hideo Yokoyama (b. 1957), The North Light [2019], English translation 2023.
- Seishi Yokomizo (1902–1981), Death on Gokumon Island [1948], English translation 2022.
- Seishi Yokomizo (1902–1981), The Honjin Murders [1946], English translation 2019.
- Soji Shimada (b. 1948), Murder in the Crooked House [1982], English translation 2019.
- Mieko Kawakami (b. 1976), Ms Ice Sandwich [2013], English translation 2018.
- Hideo Yokoyama (b. 1957), Seventeen [2003], English translation 2018.
- Ito Ogawa, 小川糸, (b. 1973), The Island of Expectation [Japanese title: つるかめ助産院, Tsurukame Midwifery Clinic, 2010], English translation 2017.
- Seicho Matsumoto (1909–1992), A Quiet Place [1975], English translation 2016.
- Taeko Tomioka, 富岡多恵子 (1935–2023), Building Waves [Japanese title: 波うつ土地, The Land of Waves or Wavy Land, 1983], English translation 2012.
- Shoko Tendo, Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter [2004], English translation 2007.
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Wikipedia Articles :
- Young adult literature.
- 日本の近現代文学史 [History of modern Japanese literature].
- 大衆小説 [Popular novels].
- 中間小説 [Intermediate novel].
- ファンタジー [Fantasy].
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Comments :
The Cat Who Saved Books is not adult literature. The main characters are two high school students; the simple story uses fantasy adventures to make pious points about the value of books. A cat plays a secondary role as a messenger ... from the the spirit world? ... from the main character's recently deceased grandfather? The book is not about people's relationships with their cats as is the case with Hiraide's The Guest Cat or Inaba's Mornings With My Cat Mii. Given the age of the main characters, the use of fantasy elements (which seem intended for an Anime production), and the pious lessons imparted, I categorize this book as Young Adult literature that's safe (i.e., non-controversial) for the middle school or high school classroom (but which might cause an unfortunate degeneration of the curriculum since its use might displace an older more sophisticated classic work of greater literary merit).
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