Read Japan: A Booklover’s Guide to Japanese Literature in Translation, 1960-2020

As a precaution to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Read Japan talk series has been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvience caused.

TALK SERIES

Autumn reading, SORTED.

You love books. You love how they open your world. You love the thrill of seeing through someone else’s eyes, of opening a door to experiences different from your own. You’re often drawn to stories from other places, other tongues. But you’re always aware of a gap: what am I missing? What is the writer really trying to say?

Read Japan: A Booklover’s Guide to Japanese Literature in Translation, 1960 – 2020 is a series of three talks designed to help bridge this gap for anyone interested in contemporary writing from Japan. The speakers, all experts in Japanese literature, will introduce novels published in Japan over three consecutive 20-year periods—the 1960s-70s, 1980s-90s, and 2000 to present—focusing on works translated into English. Each talk will look at the social and political context of the time, as well as important writers and movements, and offer a shortlist of recommended books to create a roadmap for exploring Japanese literature.

Read Japan is designed for newcomers to Japanese literature, as well as more seasoned but adhoc readers of Japanese books who want to put some method to the proverbial madness. It is dedicated to any booklover who has ever felt a little at sea reading literature in translation.

All attendees will receive a 20% discount voucher from Books Kinokuniya Sydney, redeemable in-store, and will have a chance to win one book pack per night, also courtesy of Books Kinokuniya Sydney.