Shizuko kawabata biography of martin

Literature from the country of Japan

Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or lit. 'Chinese writing' (漢文, kanbun), a Chinese-Japanese creole language.Indian literature also had an influence through the spread of Buddhism in Japan.

During the Heian period, Japan's original kokufū culture (lit. 'national culture') developed and literature also established its own style, with the significant usage and development of kana (仮名) to write Japanese literature.

Following the end of the sakoku policy and especially during the increasing westernization of the Meiji era, Western literature has also had an influence on the development of modern Japanese writers, while Japanese literature has in turn become more recognized internationally, leading to two Japanese Nobel laureates in literature, namely Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburō Ōe.

History

Nara-period literature (before 794)

Before the introduction of kanji from China to Japan, Japan had no writing system; it is believed that Chinese characters came to Japan at the very beginning of the 5th century, brought by immigrants from Korea and China. Early Japanese texts first followed the Chinese model, before gradually transitioning to a hybrid of Chinese characters used in Japanese syntactical formats, resulting in sentences written with Chinese characters but read phonetically in Japanese.

Chinese characters were also further adapted, creating what is known as man'yōgana, the earliest form of kana, or Japanese syllabic writing. The earliest literary works in Japan were created in the Nara period. These include the Kojiki (712), a historical record that also chronicles ancient Japanese mythology and folk song

This year’s Women in Translation Month might seem to have been dominated by my lengthy The Tale of Genji project, but I have managed to get to some other books this August.  There were a couple of reviews of works by female writers at the start of the month, and I’m rounding August off by looking at a few more excellent books.  While we’re staying in Japan for today’s post, there’s a very different tone, with the story taking us from the heights of Heian-era Japan to the depths of war.  Never fear, though – this is still very much a woman’s tale, providing us with a different slant on a familiar topic…

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I was lucky enough a while back to be sent some books by Edward Lipsett, the founder of Kurodahan Press, including several hard-to-find older titles.  One of these was Shizuko Gō’s Requiem, translated by Geraldine Harcourt, a short novel that starts with sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Setsuko Ōizumi alone, underground in an air-raid shelter.  With the Second World War just about over, we meet the young woman in the darkness as she chokes on her own blood – and that’s the way the story finishes, too.

Yet in between, Requiem takes several different directions.  The story is told in a series of flashbacks and letters recounting the last few months of World War Two from the Japanese perspective.  We’re told of Setsuko’s work in a factory, her communication with a younger schoolmate, Naomi Niwa, and occasional visits to family friends.  There are also insights into the tragedies of war, with long walks through the devastated city of Yokohama, not to mention Setsuko’s suffering in her underground shelter-cum-tomb.

This short 1973 work was awarded with the Akutagawa Prize, and having finished it I’m not surprised.  It’s an excellent, searing look at the final months of the Pacific War, with a focus on the home front.  The writer keeps us away from the

Paul Ygartua Spain The great sensuality and sheer inexhaustible power of imagination is the spectrum of Ygartua’s work -- an innovative artist who has the ability to create and work on several different styled paintings from the beginning of his career. He displays an interest in subject matter of every kind and demonstrates a great stylistic versatility that enables him to work in several mediums and techniques at the same time. A brief description of the art of Paul Ygartua is virtually impossible. His senses are alert at all times. he has the ability to express dramatic emotion with a spontaneity that brings life and emotion to the subject. This takes on many forms and techniques and styles. Some need fast spontaneous and yet still capture the impulsive character of Ygartua. The complexity and the individuality that is expressed throughout his works accounts for his constant change of city and country – being inspired by the world and the people around him.

Genesis Acrylic on canvas 4 x 5 ft or 120 x 156 cm

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International Contemporary Masters Volume 10 CURATED BY DESPINA TUNBERG Designed And Published In California 2015 by World Wide Art Books Inc. www.wwab.us General Manager / Curator: Despina Tunberg Design: MT DESIGN Front Cover Image: Ryota Matsumoto Surviving in the Multidimensional Space of Cognitive Dissonance, 2014 Mixed media 32 x 43 in. or 81 x 109 cm Back Cover Image: Wendy Lane Wisdom, 2015 Colored pencil and color gel pen 8.5 x 11.25 in. or 22 x 28 cm All Rights Reserved 速

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