Kenji Miyazawa - Böcker

The poet Miyazawa Kenji (1896-1933) was an early twentieth-century Japanese modernist who today is known worldwide for his poetry and stories as well as his devotion to Buddhism. "Miyazawa Kenji: Selections" collects a wide range of his poetry and provides an excellent introduction to his life and work. Miyazawa was a teacher of agriculture by profession and largely unknown as a poet until after his death. Since then, his work has increasingly attracted a devoted following, especially among ecologists, Buddhists, and the literary avant-garde. This volume includes poems translated by Gary Snyder, who was the first to translate a substantial body of Miyazawa's work into English. Hiroaki Sato's own superb translations, many never before published, demonstrate his deep familiarity with Miyazawa's poetry. His remarkable introduction considers the poet's significance and suggests ways for contemporary readers to approach his work. It further places developments in Japanese poetry into a global context during the first decades of the twentieth century.In addition, the book features a Foreword by the poet Geoffrey O'Brien and essays by Tanikawa Shuntaro, Yoshimasu Gozo, and Michael O'Brien.

Japanese fairy tales - enchanting, enigmatic stories of animals, human beings and the great natural world. Dark and innocent, sublime and whimsical, Miyazawa's stories have the ageless feel of the best fairy tales. There are animal allegories such as 'The Ungrateful Rat' where a rude rodent insults all the objects he meets - until he meets the Rat Trap. There are morality tales such as 'The Restaurant of Many Orders', where two hunters become the hunted. There are also transcendent stories of childhood and mortality like Miyazawa's best-known 'Night Train to the Stars', where a magical steam train carries children through the night and up to the heavens.These stories reveal the unique brilliance of one of Japan's most beloved early twentieth-century writers.WITH A FOREWORD BY DAVID MITCHELL AND AN INTRODUCTION BY KAORI NAGAI'Kenji Miyazawa fables are international-class' David Mitchell'For readers who relish the disturbing material of fairy tale, the specificity and surprise of tanka, collisions of the everyday with the supernatural and glimpses of Japan right on the brink of industrialization, Kenji Miyazawa's masterly stories will be a delight' New York Times'Few works have given me so much pleasure (and hard work) as the tales of Miyazawa Kenji [...] more genuine originality, and a more universal appeal, than almost anything else I have done.' John Bester, translator

Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) is now widely viewed as Japan's greatest poet of the 20th century. Little known in his lifetime, he died at 37 from tuberculosis, but has since become a much loved children's author whose magical tales have been translated into many languages, adapted for the stage and turned into films and animations. Recognition for his poetry came much later. "Strong in the Rain" - the title-poem of this selection - is now arguably the most memorised and quoted modern poem in Japan. Both intensely lyrical and permeated with a sophisticated scientific understanding of the universe, Kenji Miyazawa's poems testify to his deep love of humanity and nature. From a young age, he was fascinated by plants, insects, and especially minerals, which he collected. At school, his interest in nature deepened, and he began poring through books on philosophy and Buddhism, which were to strongly influence his later writing. Miyazawa drew on nature in a way that no modern Japanese author had before him. Where other writers tended to use it as a springboard for their own meditations, he saw himself not just as nature's faithful chronicler and recorder but as its medium: light, wind and rain are processed through him before being recreated on the page. His mode of active engagement with nature set him apart from virtually all other Japanese poets, and led to his work being largely ignored by the Bundan (the literary establishment) and misunderstood for half a century. But in the 1990s, he received unprecedented attention in the Japanese media. The compassion, empathy and closeness to nature expressed in Kenji Miyazawa's poems and tales appealed strongly to a new generation of readers.

One night, alone on a hilltop, a young boy is swept aboard a magical train bound for the Milky Way. A classic in Japan, this tender fable is a book of great wisdom, offering insight into the afterlife. One of Japan's greatest storytellers, Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) was a teacher, author, poet, and scientist.

The most renowned work by the legendary Japanese writer who inspired Studio Ghibli, Night on the Galactic Railroad is a classic for readers of My Father's Dragon and A Wrinkle in Time. An adventure story steeped in profound themes.On the eve of the Milky Way festival, Giovanni rushes past his classmates who are busy preparing for the celebration. He must get to his job at the printing office where he plucks tiny pieces of type with tweezers from a box, in exchange for a single silver coin. Later, he waits in a dusky kitchen that smells of cows for a bottle of milk to bring to his mother. Night has fallen when his classmates begin sailing gourds lit with candles down the black, glistening river. Giovanni wanders along a hillside. The dark blue sky begins to twinkle and shine. And suddenly, Giovanni finds himself transported to a compartment of the Galactic train. Across from him is his fellow classmate, the tender-hearted, enigmatic Campanella.So begins an expedition traversing the galaxy. Campanella and Giovanni, etched in a black-and-white gothic style, travel through fields of purple flowers, into constellations. They meet the strangest people. There's the lighthouse man, the bird catcher, and the shipwrecked children. Kenji Miyazawa's story unravels its mysterious thread, in an exquisite translation by Asa Yoneda and David Boyd. Osamu Tsukasa's illustrations combine the enigmatic beauty of Edvard Munch and Aubrey Beardsley's art nouveau ink drawings––both of whom were inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. Miyazawa's classic story will stay with readers long after childhood.

"In the transcendent stories of Miyazawa, Earth teems with magic and wonder." — Publishers Weekly"A marvelous writer who deserves to be much better known in English." — KirkusThis charming manga collection presents three modern fables by one of Japan's most gifted authors, the poet and short story writer Kenji Miyazawa.Miyazawa is renowned for his masterful storytelling, poetic imagery and powerful evocation of both the shadows and light of human nature. His world of sentient stars and enchanted forests, presented here in manga form, will appeal to imaginative readers of all ages.The Restaurant of Many Orders follows a pair of confident, self-centered young men on a hunting expedition. After entering a mysterious restaurant deep in the forest the men are given a series of increasingly peculiar orders before they can be served dinner. What begins with simple orders, like removing their coats and brushing their hair, become stranger and stranger before the two men realize that something more cynical is at bay…The Wildcat and the Acorns is the story of a young boy invited to attend a trial where a wildcat presides over golden acorns disputing which acorn is the best one. The Twin Stars brings to life the heavenly constellations, whose musical performances keep the stars twinkling at night. In the daytime, however, the harmony falls apart as the constellations squabble among themselves.

"A breathtakingly beautiful world…reminding us that we are part of the universe." —Kaori Nagai"A modern classic." —NPRLonely and awkward, Giovanni struggles with his sick mother, absent father, and an afterschool job that isolates him from his peers. But on the night of the Star Festival, he is magically transported onto a celestial train with his best friend, Campanella. Together, they embark on an extraordinary journey through the galaxy, encountering mysterious characters and grappling with life's deepest questions. When Giovanni returns to earth, he faces the heartbreaking truth about their voyage.Kenji Miyazawa, one of Japan's most revered authors, is celebrated for his poetic vision and ability to weave profound reflections on human nature into fantastical settings. A Night on the Galactic Railway is a powerful exploration of friendship, loss, and the mysteries of existence, cementing its place as a timeless masterpiece. This edition, filled with stunning imagery and evocative themes, offers readers a glimpse into Miyazawa's genius. Reads right-to-left in the Japanese style.