Ihara Saikaku – författare

A Stanford University Press classic.

A Great Classic of Japanese literature and the masterpiece of novelist Ihara Saikaku—now in a completely new and revised edition with introduction by noted scholar David J. GundryThe culmination of Saikaku's perceptive genius, the 20 short stories within This Scheming World recount raucous events and incidents on New Year's Eve as everyone tries to settle their debts for the year, as is the New Year's custom. Crafty money lenders attempt to collect their money from equally crafty debtors, and Saikaku portrays his characters with so lifelike a touch that, even though three centuries have passed since his time, it seems as if they were our contemporaries.The new Introduction by Saikaku expert David J. Gundry explains how and why this entertaining work still resonates with modern readers today.The finely-crafted tales include stories of:Philanderers who slip off to hide in the homes of their mistressesHustlers who leave town suddenly on "very important" business tripsConnivers who become actors for a day to hide-in-plain-sight on stage"The New Year's Eve is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold. It is the Great Divide between winter and spring, which none can pass over without copper and silver." —Ihara Saikaku

"Five charming novellas … which have astonishing freshness, color, and warmth."— The New YorkerFirst published in 1686, this collection of five novellas by Ihara Saikaku was an immediate bestseller in the bawdy world of Genroku Japan. The book's popularity has only increased with age, making it a literary classic like Boccaccio's Decameron, or the works of Rabelais.Each of the five stories follows a determined woman on her quest for amorous adventure:The Story of Seijuro in Himeji — Onatsu, already wise in the ways of love the tender age of sixteen.The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love — Osen, a faithful wife until unjustly accused of adultery.What the Seasons Brought the Almanac Maker— Osan, a Kyoto beauty who falls asleep in the wrong bed.The Greengrocer's Daughter with a Bundle of Love — Oshichi, willing to burn down a city to meet her samurai lover.Gengobei, the Mountain of Love — Oman, who has to compete with handsome boys to win her lover's affections.But the book is more than a collection of skillfully told erotic tales, for "Saikaku …could not delve into the inmost secrets of human life only to expose them to ridicule or snickering prurience. Obviously fascinated by the variety and complexity of human love, but always retaining a sense of its intrinsic dignity … he is both a discriminating and compassionate judge of his fellow man."Saikaku's style, as allusive as it is witty, is a challenge that few translators have dared to face, and certainly never before with the success here. Accentuated by gorgeous 17th-century illustrations. Theodore de Bary's translation manages to recapture the heady flavor of the original in this sumptuous collection of romantic tales.

A Great Classic of Japanese literature and the masterpiece of novelist Ihara Saikaku—now in a completely new and revised edition with introduction by noted scholar David J. GundryThe culmination of Saikaku's perceptive genius, the 20 short stories within This Scheming World recount raucous events and incidents on New Year's Eve as everyone tries to settle their debts for the year, as is the New Year's custom. Crafty money lenders attempt to collect their money from equally crafty debtors, and Saikaku portrays his characters with so lifelike a touch that, even though three centuries have passed since his time, it seems as if they were our contemporaries.The new Introduction by Saikaku expert David J. Gundry explains how and why this entertaining work still resonates with modern readers today.The finely-crafted tales include stories of:Philanderers who slip off to hide in the homes of their mistressesHustlers who leave town suddenly on "very important" business tripsConnivers who become actors for a day to hide-in-plain-sight on stage"The New Year's Eve is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold. It is the Great Divide between winter and spring, which none can pass over without copper and silver." —Ihara Saikaku

Japan's first modern novel—an unforgettable exploration of love and desire!The Life of an Amorous Man is a groundbreaking work by Ihara Saikaku, Japan's first popular novelist. This new unabridged English translation of Saikaku's seminal work includes the 54 illustrations drawn by the author and published in the original Japanese edition.The story follows Yonosuke, a passionate man whose never-ending quest for pleasure leads him from the glitzy brothels of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and the elegant boudoirs of Kyoto to moonlit trysts along quiet lanes in the Japanese countryside. Along the way he weaves a tapestry of fleeting affairs, forbidden romances, and broken hearts.Brimming with scandalous encounters, witty anecdotes, and poignant reflections, Yonosuke's tale provides a candid glimpse into the hedonistic world of Edo-period Japan (1680-1770), where courtesans, gamblers, and pleasure-seekers mingle in a whirlwind of indulgence. The Life of an Amorous Man was a huge success in its day and remains a celebration of life and a fascinating glimpse of a vibrant, bygone era.

Ihara Saikaku's book named Ukiyososhi (Full Translation) (Hardback edition) is the last peak of the classical Japanese novel after the Genji Monogatari in Heian period and Heike Monogatari in Kamakura time, and has a great influence.Ihara Saikaku, a famous writer in seventeenth Century, has an important position in the history of literature. His works have been translated into many countries in Europe and America.Ihara Saikaku's world view has made him mostly focus on two themes, one of which is the description of the emotional life of the Japan's tokugawa shogunate period businessmen, and the other of which is the description of economic activities or economic life of the Japan's tokugawa shogunate period businessmen. It called "e;Profile of Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate Period Businessmen"e;, and belongs to:Economic Novel:.The selected translation of this book is six representative works of these two themes.Now, six works have been integrated into Ukiyososhi, and firstly published in the country with a new feature.