Autumn Wind: And Other Stories (Tut Books) [Paperback]

Lane Dunlop (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Tut Books | Publication Date: December 1994

Westerners familiar only with stereotypical images of bowing geisha and dark-suited businessmen will be surprised by the cast of characters translator Lane Dunlop introduces in this anthology. Lovers of fiction and students of Japan are certain to find these stories absorbing, engaging and instructive.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

About the Author

Lane Dunlop has won several awards for translation, including the Japan—US Friendship Award for Literary Translation for both 'A Late Chrysanthemum' and 'Twenty-four Stories' from the Japanese, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Academy Award in Literature. He is co-translator of Yasunari's Kawabata 'Palm-of-the-Hand Stories' and the translator of numerous Japanese novels, including Kafu Nagai's 'During the Rains & Flowers in the Shade: Two Novellas'.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Pub; 1st edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804819211
• ISBN-13: 978-0804819213
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,029,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A whisper of memories untold, December 21, 2007

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Autumn Wind and Other Stories (Tuttle Classics) (Paperback)

"Autumn Wind and Other Stories" is a curious collection. Basically it collects fourteen short stories by various Japanese authors, dating back to the early 1900s and up to the early 1970s. The authors range from the very famous, such as Kawabata Yasunari ("The Titmouse") and Akutagawa Ryunosuke ("The Garden"), to many whom I have never heard of, and who may have only written one or two important stories in their lives. Somewhat linked thematically, the collection features tales of that certain style of Japanese writing, one where the bulk of the story is unsaid, and the reader is challenged to read what is unspoken in order to glimpse the meaning. Many feature uncertain memories, vague feelings and a drifting, dreaming quality that is also familiar. A single translator, Lane Dunlpop, has done all of the translating, which is unusual, but pulled off very well.

Each tale is a product of its time. "The Fox" (1909), by Nagai Kafu, features a childhood memory as a starting point for the sadness of the encroaching modernization of Japan, and the vanishing of the beautiful past. "Flash Storm" (1916), by Satomi Ton is one of my favorites, a sexually-charged tale of social barriers and the contest between lust and propriety. "One Woman and the War" (1946) by Sakaguchi Ango is a cynical look at the final days of WWII from the point of view of the savaging poor, but is surprisingly light-hearted. "Borneo Diamond" (1951) by Hayashi Fumiko tells the story of a war-prostitute lured to Borneo by lies. The lead story, "Autumn Wind" (1939) by Nakayama Gishu deserves its honors, telling the story of a charming low-class prostitute and the group of lumberjacks who fall in love with her, much to the disgust of the wealthier classes who consider them human garbage, incapable of such delicate feelings. Another jewel of the collection, "Along the Mountain Ridge" (1956) by Kita Morio is a haunting tale of high mountains, that might possibly be a ghost story depending on how you read it.

None of the stories are very long, but all of them are worth reading. People unfamiliar with Japanese literature might find the style confusing, as they rarely follow plot lines, and few have what might be called a satisfying ending. Instead, each story whispers away, leaving a feeling of loss and contemplation, and mournful beauty.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Glimpse of another world, December 27, 2006

By 

David Bonesteel (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Autumn Wind: And Other Stories (Tut Books) (Paperback)

Lane Dunlop has translated a handful of Japanese short stories by well-regarded authors. All of them are set in the early- to mid-twentieth century. Many of these stories are rather quiet and contemplative, perhaps too much so for many American readers (I don't exclude myself from this). These authors often spend much time on the details of the natural environment, using them to highlight or provide contrast with their characters' emotions, thoughts, and situations. On more than one occasion, I finished a story feeling puzzled about just what the author was trying to communicate to me. However, this was by no means the case in all of the stories. For example, in Kita Morio's "Along the Mountain Ridge," a hiker makes a grisly discovery and witnesses a climber's precarious progress up a treacherous mountainside as prologue to a haunting meditation on mortality. Several other such gems make this a collection worth reading.

3.0 out of 5 stars Haiku-like stories, February 6, 2010

By 

Literary Omnivore (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autumn Wind and Other Stories (Tuttle Classics) (Paperback)

The best way I can describe these stories is to say that they are like haiku poems--the intent seems to be to capture an emotion rather than to write what we in America would think of as a traditional story. Some are eerie, some erotic, some sad. I do think that these would be of more interest to someone studying Japanese culture, perhaps in a university setting, rather than to casual readers.