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Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text Paperback – June 1, 2012

by Giles Murray (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 105 ratings
See all formats and editions
Reading great books in the original should be the culmination of language study, but reading Japanese literature unassisted is a daunting task that can defeat even the most able of students. Breaking into Japanese Literature is specially designed to help you bypass all the frustration and actually enjoy classics of Japanese literature.

Breaking into Japanese Literature features seven graded stories covering a variety of genres: whether it's the spellbinding surrealism of Natsume Soseki's Ten Nights of Dreams, the humor of Akutagawa Ryunosuke's fable of temple life ("The Nose"), or the excitement of his historic thrillers ("In a Grove" and "Rashomon"), you are sure to find a story that appeals to you in this collection.

The unique layout-with the original Japanese story in large print, an easy-to-follow English translation and a custom dictionary-was created for maximum clarity and ease of use. There's no need to spend time consulting reference books when everything you need to know is right there in front of your nose.

To make Japanese literature fun, Breaking into Japanese Literature also has some unique extra features: mini-biographies to tell you about the authors' lives and works, individual story prefaces to alert you to related works of literature or film, and original illustrations to fire your imagination. Best of all, MP3 sound files of all the stories have been made available for FREE on the Internet.

Breaking into Japanese Literature provides all the backup you need to break through to a new and undiscovered world-the world of great Japanese fiction. All the hard work has been taken care of so you can enjoy the pleasures of the mind. Why not take advantage?

Learn
o 50% of all common-use kanji covered
o Kanji entry numbers given for follow-up study
o Japanese + English translation + custom dictionary on the same page
o Every single kanji word explained

Listen
o Free download of sound files from the Net

Look
o 7 original atmospheric illustrations

Link
o Original stories for Kurosawa's Rashomon and Dreams

All the stories in this book are available on the Internet as MP3 sound files read by professional Japanese actors.

For students who want to consolidate their understanding of kanji, the entry numbers for any of the 2,230 characters in The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary have been provided when those characters feature in Breaking into Japanese Literature. This makes cross-referencing a matter of seconds.
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  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Kodansha USA
  4. Publication date
    June 1, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    7.4 x 0.5 x 5.2 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1568364156
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1568364155
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details
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The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Specially-designed layout and other features let readers enjoy the work of two of Japan's greatest writers in the original language

About the Author

GILES MURRAY lives in Tokyo where he works as a writer, translator, editor, and copywriter. He is the author of Kodansha International's best-selling "anti-textbook," 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese, and appears as Jeremy Hilditch in the Japanese for Busy People: The Video series. Among his translations are Master Modeler: Creating the Tamiya Style (the autobiography of Shunsaku Tamiya, president of Tamiya Inc.) and Love Hina, a manga series about a bespectacled youth who becomes the janitor of a girls' dormitory.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kodansha USA; Bilingual edition (June 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1568364156
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1568364155
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 0.5 x 5.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 105 ratings

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Giles Murray

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
105 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book's translations good and easy to read. They find the stories interesting and captivating. The book is useful for intermediate-advanced students, with helpful grammatical notes and layout. However, opinions differ on readability - some find the format well-thought-out and easy to follow, while others mention difficulty in reading the language and typographical errors.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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Translation qualityStory qualityUseVolumeReadability
18 customers mention "Translation quality"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the translations easy to read and enjoyable. They appreciate the helpful in-text kanji and hiragana phrases below the Japanese text. The book provides a good start for real Japanese reading, with useful vocabulary and structure. It offers bilingual versions of notable stories that make them easy to read and test reading comprehension skills. Readers appreciate the simple sentences that remain natural.

"...This is a nice touch as it shows the versatility of those words, that would be hard to grasp if we did not see them used multiple ways...." Read more

"...Aside from the very helpful in-text kanji and hiragana phrases below the Japanese text, explanations regarding the stories' settings were also given..." Read more

"...The writing itself is lovely but of the four stories in the first level, all but one are either depressing or scary in some way...." Read more

"...The English text is enjoyable prose in its own right since it's not written in an extremely literal style as you might expect, and while normally I..." Read more

16 customers mention "Story quality"12 positive4 negative

Customers find the stories engaging and well-translated. They appreciate the short stories that build confidence with literary reading. The book is enjoyable, with nice translations and a cool layout with Japanese text on one page. Readers enjoy the dark stories and find them motivating.

"...And to close, I'll say that the story selections were interesting...." Read more

"This is really enjoyable; the translations aren't "learners" translations, so it was really interesting for me to read the Japanese text,..." Read more

"...I'd say this is a useful exercise, but requires a pretty good knowledge of Japanese already in order for these stories to be useful...." Read more

"...The only complaint I have about this book is that the stories are actually kind of disconcerting...." Read more

14 customers mention "Use"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book useful for intermediate-advanced students. It provides helpful grammatical notes and an English translation. The book is a good source of learning the nuances of Japanese people during the time of the Meiji period. They appreciate the free mp3 recordings and complete works.

"This book is a very good source of learning the nuances of Japanese people during the time of the authors, which may still be possibly present even..." Read more

"...as its follow-up, 'Exploring Japanese Literature', are very useful tools to assist you in getting to that level...." Read more

"...yet, if your Japanese level is second or third year, it's a great learning resource too...." Read more

"This is absolutely brilliant. The stories are interesting and captivating, and never too long to overtly intimidate or tire the reader...." Read more

5 customers mention "Volume"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book useful and user-friendly. It features footnotes for each kanji compound, and the website provides an audio track to the book. The audio track is a great listening exercise that can help increase vocal skills.

"...The volume is exceedingly user friendly and features footnotes for each Kanji compound introduced...." Read more

"...or simply wants to enjoy the short stories, this is an excellent volume to select." Read more

"...Plus the website provides an audio track to the book to boot. Highly recommended." Read more

"Doesn't matter what level you are, this can help increase your vocal. I downloaded the mp3s from the website too!" Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"5 positive4 negative

Customers have different views on the book's readability. Some find the layout easy to use and helps them stay in the flow of the stories. However, others mention difficult language, typographical errors, and poor translation.

"...has a fine translation, and its bi-lingual presentation/layout is conducive to learning...." Read more

"...The editor did not do an exemplary job; the vocabulary sections have typographical errors, mostly minor, but some more serious, including a curious..." Read more

"...The layout makes the book easy to use and helps me to stay in the flow of the stories - very gratifying and motivating!..." Read more

"Interesting stories in an easy to read format...." Read more

Two realy good books ut in this point I'm diassapointed
3 out of 5 stars
Two realy good books ut in this point I'm diassapointed
I Bought this book with The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary, which is incredible, but there is a problem. the number of the kanji in theBreaking into Japanese Literature book, does not correspond to the kanji in the dictionary. par eample, the kanji "dream" in the book is indicated with the number 1510. ok... You go now to the kanji learner's dictionary, and the No 1510 kanji is the word "drink"! So, you have to go buck to the dictioary, find the word "yiume" wich means dream, and find out that is thw kanji number 2046!!! Emmmm !! Thats a problem, no? This two books supose to work together! Two realy good books ut in this point I'm diassapointed...Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel TextThe Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary: Revised and Expanded
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Top reviews from the United States

C. Tucker
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting stories in an easy to read format.
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
The only bad thing that can be said about this book is that the translations on the right hand page make it almost too easy to cheat and just read things in English. However, if you have a little self discipline, you'll find that there's a lot here to love. The translations are not literal, and aim to maintain the feeling of the sentences in English. I found it fun to compare my translation to that of the author, and enjoyed those "aha!" moments when I realized "But that's not really what it's saying!".

After reading this book it has become clearer than ever that a lot of things get lost/mutated in translation as a means to tailor things to English speaking audiences.

As far as the definitions at the bottom go, it is interesting to note that same word is often defined in different ways based on usage. This is a nice touch as it shows the versatility of those words, that would be hard to grasp if we did not see them used multiple ways.

And to close, I'll say that the story selections were interesting. The repetition of words and phrases in them made them an intelligent choice by Mr. Murray. Because you will see some of the same words often in the same story, you will naturally pick up on them just so you can avoid the annoyance of looking up their definition everytime you come across them.

In summary, this book is a great introduction to Japanese fiction and I've enjoyed my time with it. If you're looking to make the jump into non-educational material, this is a great starting place.

皆さん、頑張りましてください！
5 people found this helpful
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May Chan
5.0 out of 5 stars A Showcase of Japanese Culture in a Nutshell
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book is a very good source of learning the nuances of Japanese people during the time of the authors, which may still be possibly present even until now. Aside from the very helpful in-text kanji and hiragana phrases below the Japanese text, explanations regarding the stories' settings were also given, making the reader even more aware of the cultural background behind each story. This also gives a Japanese "feel" to the stories, adding to their authenticity to many readers.

For example, in Souseki's Yume Juuya stories, different periods in ancient Japan were showed, complete with vivid descriptions of each setting. Each story takes the reader into another world, with supernatural, creepy, and bizarre elements added. My personal favorite is the Third Night, which explores reincarnations and realizations, complete with macabre details.

Aside from the content, I also recommend this book to upper-beginners of the Japanese language. The book style is not only welcoming to intermediate and advanced Japanese language learners, but to beginners as well, provided that one has knowledge of kana as well as at least grade 1 kanji. This book is a way for beginners to appreciate the basic kanji and words that were learned, either in class or by oneself. It is also a good reading set to test reading comprehension skills, as well as listening skills when the audio files are used in tandem.

I gave this book a high-overall rating and a good recommendation not just for its content but also on how it was made. It is a very good book for one to become introduced to Japanese culture and literature, as well as a useful tool in learning the Japanese language.
4 people found this helpful
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Cherie
4.0 out of 5 stars Good layout, disturbing stories
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
First of all, I love this book because it really does contain everything you need to know written in a good font size and with furigana over the difficult kanji. The book is really nicely packaged together and everything is explained about how to use it. I think it's amazing that you can learn (or at least see) 50% of all the common kanji.

The only complaint I have about this book is that the stories are actually kind of disconcerting. The writing itself is lovely but of the four stories in the first level, all but one are either depressing or scary in some way. They are certainly not stories you would read to cheer yourself up. The last story even contains in it's little blurb "with it's whiff of necrophilia" and contains a short description of the ero-guro genre.....which was not what I was expecting and that grossed me out a little. I have yet to read that one but I wonder if they could have picked slightly less morose stories??
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Pietra
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good book to start reading in japanese
Reviewed in Brazil on February 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book is really great. Its layout is very practical and the stories, although a bit dark, are really nice, specially for people who are still learning about japanese literature. I wouldn't recommend it for total beginners though, I find the book a bit hard for newbies, but still a great book!
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Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligently designed
Reviewed in Japan on September 9, 2017
Verified Purchase
The package arrived earlier than expected which was good.
So far I have read only the first story but I love this book.
It is the perfect tool if you're looking to boost your japanese. It is extremely convenient, because it has a detailed dictionary that not only includes the words meaning but also has the explanation of some grammar expressions, which usually are hard to get especially when you search for them separatedly.
The dictionary is also written in hiragana, so even a beginner can enjoy this book, however I think is more suitable for an intermediate level person whom will be able to read it fluently.
I definitively recommend it!
The only thing I dislike is that it is a little too big (in comparison with the small japanese books).
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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Lebensgefühl auf literarischem Niveau nachspüren
Reviewed in Germany on October 17, 2015
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Breaking into Japanese Literature. Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Texts. Juni 2012. Giles Murray

Sowohl literarisch als auch didaktisch gute Wahl. Sorgfältig bearbeitet. Ermöglicht auch Lesern, die nur über mäßige Sprachkenntnisse verfügen, einen authentischen Zugang zur japanischen Kultur, zu der für uns oft ungewöhnlichen Denkweise und dem vielschichtigen Empfinden.
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ZK
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Canada on April 23, 2013
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Excellent for those who love to read Japanese classics to improve their knowledge of Japanese culture and language. I would recommend to anyone.
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CAMILLI MARCO
5.0 out of 5 stars Era quello che cercavo
Reviewed in Italy on April 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
Il mio livello di conoscenza del giapponese è basso/intermedio, quello dell'inglese molto buono. Sul foglio sinistro si trovano delle piccole storie scritte in un giapponese (con i furigana) di livello intermedio/alto. Sul foglio destro si trova la traduzione in inglese. La comprensione delle storie e della grammatica è fattibile anche se non facile per un principiante come me. In basso c'è un dizionario con tutti i Kanji usati nella pagina e gli hiragana per leggerli. Non lo ho ancora fatto ma è possibile scaricare il file audio da Internet oppure ascoltarlo in streaming dal sito dell'editore. Per chi vuole imparare la lingua come me è ottimo. Sono soddisfatto dell'acquisto.
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