Night of the Milky Way Railway [Hardcover]

Kenji Miyazawa (Author), Bryn Barnard (Illustrator), Sarah M. Strong (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1991 | Age Level: 3 and up

Giovanni and his friend Campanella, who is dead from drowning, travel on a celestial railway which is a ferry of souls journeying to the afterlife.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: M.E. Sharpe (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873328205
• ISBN-13: 978-0873328203
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best Kenji Miyazawa book for parents to read to their child, August 19, 2005

By 

J. Holt (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Night of the Milky Way Railway (Hardcover)

Professor Strong's translation of Kenji's (as he is affectionately known to his fans) "Ginga tetsudo no yoru" is perhaps the best, most accessible English versions available. And there are many available. (Avoid the "Rock Press" _Milky Way Railway_ edition, it is rock-bottom.) Roger Pulvers' recent translation and John Bester's older translation are also good (Pulvers' may only be accessible in Japan in Jpn/Eng bilingual format), but I think Strong's version may be the best one yet: with easy to understand English, wonderful illustrations (that hint at the story contents, not explicate) -- plus you get her copious notes, biography and an alternate version -- all make this a nice copy to have in children's library. I think it is well-suited for an adult to read to a child (the notes in the back can help the parent out of a jam if asked "what is a crow-lantern?").

That being said, I give the story (not so much the translation) 3/5 stars. It is not my favorite Kenji story. (I'm not convinced it really came from his hand.) There are much better Kenji stories out there that I encourage anyone to read. (Try Bester's collection "Once and Forever".) "Night of the Milky Way Railway" is Kenji's longest work, but in my opinion it is not his magnum opus. A better place to look for that are collections of his shorter stories (Restaruant of Many Orders, etc.) which patch together his brilliance.

Last bit of advice -- do not read the introduction. (It contains spoilers.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Kenji Miyazawa, June 12, 2007

By 

J. Bender (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Night of the Milky Way Railway (Hardcover)

This edition of Night of the Milky Way Railway is my favorite translation to date. My command of Japanese is limited (only 2-1/2 years of college study), but I still think this version is best at capturing both the flavor of the original, and the magic of the tale. John Bester's lovely translation runs a close second. But don't bother with the Rock Bridge version- it is awkward and charmless, which does the charming writing of Miyazawa a disservice. It was the only English version I could find for a while, but it has been fully eclipsed by its superiors.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best translation, June 22, 2011

By 

Yariou Wellmouth "Burt Bacharach fan" (North of Hell) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night of the Milky Way Railway (Hardcover)

This is a great translation, with accompanying explanations from a scholar who really knows what she is doing. Unfortunately, it is not in print and used copies start at well over $100.