Japanese Literature : A Very Short Introduction

Author: Tansman, Alan (Professor of Japanese, Professor of Japanese, University of California, Berkeley)

Japan

Published on 25 May 2023 by Oxford University Press Inc in the United States as part of 'the Very Short Introductions' series.

Paperback / softback | 160 pages, 10 illustrations
110 x 174 x 23 | 136g

With a history stretching back nearly 1,500 years, Japanese literature is infused from its beginnings with written traditions from around the globe, while ever evolving in its own particular expressive modes and vision. This Very Short Introduction traverses this vast and varied canon, ranging from the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji, to pre-modern and modern narrative fiction (including such writers as Natsume Sôseki, Yukio Mishima and Murakami Haruki); from the foundational works of women's literature to the rich genres of poetry, performance art, and erotica; and from the literary treatise to the precursors of contemporary Japan's most successful cultural export: manga.