An anthology of the greatest stories by modern Japanese masters (including previously overlooked women writers)!Fourteen distinct voices are assembled in this one-of-a-kind anthology tracing a nations changing social landscapes. Internationally renowned writers like Yasunari Kawabata, Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Junichi Watanabe are joined by three notable women writers whose works have not yet received sufficient attentionKanoko Okamoto, Fumiko Hayashi and Yumiko Kurahashi.Highlights of this anthology include:Kafu Nagais bittersweet portrait of a privileged familys expiring existence in The FoxAngo Sakaguchis heartening celebration of postwar chaos in One Woman and the WarFumiko Hayashis unabashed exploration of female sexuality in Borneo DiamondJunichi Watanabes chilling assessment of alienation and social dislocation in Invitation to SuicideGishu Nakayamas look at an out-of-place prostitute recovering at a hot-spring resort in Autumn WindThrough brilliant, highly-praised translations by Lane Dunlop, The Best Japanese Short Stories offers fascinating glimpses of a society embracing change while holding tenaciously onto the past. A new foreword by Alan Tansman provides insightful back stories about the authors and the literary backdrop against which they created these great works of modern world literature.
