The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature

From Restoration to Occupation, 1868-1945

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Edited by J. Thomas Rimer

Columbia University Press

Due/Published May 2005, 848 pages, cloth

ISBN 0231118600

This anthology collects the works of fiction, poetry, and drama from a pivotal time in Japanese history. The volume offers translations of classic texts by such celebrated writers as Nagai Kafu, Shimazaki Toson, Natsume Soseki, and Kawabata Yasunari. The editors have also unearthed works from lesser-known women writers, many of which have never been available in English.
Organized chronologically and by genre within each period, the anthology begins with the early-modern texts of the 1870s, continues through the years of social change preceding World War I and the bold and innovative writing of the interwar period, and concludes with works written during World War II. Each chapter includes a helpful critical introduction and biographical introductions for each writer.