Customer Reviews

Autumn Wind: And Other Stories (Tut Books)

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"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.

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.

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.

The fourteen stories provide a sweeping cross-section of what Japan has to offer, from hundred-year-old classics to experimental contemporary pieces. And they are given us by Dunlop, an award winning translator.