Contents
General Literary Links
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The English version of a (rather more substantial) Japanese literary site maintained by the critic Katō Kōichi. It contains English translations of selected Japanese pages, along with a translation of an article by Katō on Murakami Haruki that was published in the journal Gunzō in 1996. The site would benefit from a thorough English proofreading, especially since it contains so much detailed information. The following categories of links are available in the Literary Hot Links section: 1) Abe Kobo on the WWW; 2) Authors; 3) Institutes; 4) Themes; 5) Monuments; 6) E-Texts; 7) Libraries, Bookstores, Publishers; 8) Plays; 9) Japanese Arts; 10) Miscellaneous. The English pages do not seem to have been updated (as of this writing in September 2001) for three years.
According to its home page, "JALInet is a network that, through the voluntary contributions of five famous authors: Yasutaka Tsutsui, Kyōji Kobayashi, Akira Hori, Yūji Usui, and Aki Satō, seeks to express Japanese literature to the world. More than a network, JALInet is just a place where members act freely, there are no plans to dictate what directions it will take. Similarly, we want to invite authors of all genres and writing styles; and offer links to the authors' home pages who aren't participating in JALInet." When set against this ambitious introduction, the English content turns out to be rather meager, but the Tsutsui page does include English translations of eight short stories.
A whimsically exotic page (check out the live video feed of Mount Fuji) maintained by Mitsuharu Matsuoka of Nagoya University, filled with Japan-related links of all kinds in English (over 50 on literature alone). Certainly the most extensive of the sort I have seen, although of course that means comprehensiveness takes place over selectiveness. The page has not been updated since July 2000.
A project by students and staff at the University of Sheffield to build a collection of 2001 classical Japanese waka in translation (about halfway there as of January 2002). Background information includes an introduction to ancient phonology and (on the Commentary page) descriptions of major anthologies and poets. The site is a recognized "event" of the Japan 2001 Festival being held in Britain until March 2002.
The Japanese Literature Readers Group
A Yahoo readers group for the discussion of Japanese literature in English. Works are selected and then read by the group, whose members comment in bulletin-board style.
A site that refers to itself as "an independent site for books on Japan." The books reviewed are mostly nonfiction, reflecting the academic background and professional experience of the site's two manager-editors. The site currently contains reviews of 41 books (nine of which are classified as fiction); a number of the reviews originally appeared in other publications. Also of interest is a series of casual interviews with people directly connected in various ways with Japan.
The Japanese Literature Publishing Project
As stated on its home page, the Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP) is "an initiative of the Agency of Cultural Affairs of Japan promoting the translation and publication of Japanese contemporary fiction." Twenty-seven titles were selected for translation in 2002, and 34 were added in 2005. There are currently four target languages involved: English, French, German, and Russian. Although they are not necessarily easy to find, the site contains synopses of the works that have been selected -- most of which are in fact modern fiction -- together with biographical notes on the authors, photographs and, for the 2002 group, lengthy "columns" devoted to the selected works.
A site dedicated to promoting Japanese pop culture, divided into the following six categories: anime, drama, pop music, manga, video games, and miscellaneous. A large number of reviews are available in each category, although they are short, user-submitted, and of course mostly reflect the point of view of an ardent "J-fan." Topics include manga, anime, and cinema. The "Miscellaneous" section includes links to a number of literary sites.
A rather eclectic site containing introductions, reflections, and comments on a number of Japanese authors, works, and literary topics. Personal in tone and discursive in approach, it focuses especially on novelist Mishima Yukio and playwright Betsuyaku Minoru, the writers who have apparently made the deepest impression impact on the site's manager. Overall, a substantial amount of material, although a certain amount of academic caution seems in order given such characterizations as that the Edo period was the historical equivalent of the British Renaissance and that Saikaku wrote middle-class fiction.
Nipponia Quarterly Web Magazine
Part of a larger Web Japan site affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that offers a variety of information meant to introduse modern Japan especially to "people all over the world." The "Art and Entertainment" section contains succinctly presented information on traditional performing arts and crafts. More detailed material contained on an earlier version of the site, Japan Access, seems to have been packaged into PDF documents that can be downloaded from the Japan Fact Sheet page. These informative documents cover such topics as Bunraku, Kabuki, No, and Kyogen, and contain attractive photographs as well. The PDF document on literature can be viewed or downloaded from this link.
The Publishers Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE)
A site under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that currently (May 2005) appears to be undergoing revision. Formerly included"The Practical Guide to Publishing in Japan," a source of detailed advice about obtaining, publishing, and translating Japanese books.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan
A haphazard site that was under construction in mid-1997 and seems to have stalled at the same time. Links to the home pages of a number of members can be found.
Translations of Classical Japanese Literature
An ambitious "bibliography in progress of translations from classical Japanese up to about 1600, including also works written in kanbun and Chinese," based at Meiji Gakuin University. Also to be found on a separate page is the bibliographical listing Studies in Western Languages of Classical Japanese Literature.
A site with literary translations (and a few unrelated oddities) by a business/commercial translator named John Gardner. Translations include fiction by Miyazawa Kenji, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Hoshi Shin'ichi, and Miura Shumon, along with English versions of various Japanese folk tales.