RJL is excited to bring you this two-parter about LGBTQ+ stories from Japan. Part one covers some of the earliest writing in Japanese through the end of the Meiji Period in 1912.

Part two (coming soon) covers Taisho Japan (when women finally enter the stage) through some of Japan's contemporary queer writers.

This episode is rated mature.

CW: homophobia, brief mentions of suicide (fictional and historical), historical accounts of practices today recognized as pedophilia and pederasty

Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available.

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All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

Today, we’re talking about crime and mystery novels from Japan. We’ll start with the development of the crime and mystery genre in the English-speaking world. We’ll move on to Japanese crime and mystery writing—how it was inspired by Anglo-American crime and mystery writing and how it evolved in its own way. And we’ll end with the life and work of writer Seishi Yokomizo, especially his novel The Honjin Murders, translated into English by Louise Heal Kawai.

Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available.

CW: murder (obviously!) and a brief mention of a fictional character’s narcotics addiction

(Apologies for small pronunciation issues of English and French surnames. They’ve been corrected in the transcript.)

Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.)

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Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com.
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All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.

This episode is marked mature.

In this episode, we take a look at Japanese writing about the American bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed as many as 215,000 people in August 1945. We’ll start with the history of the atomic bomb, its use, and its effects on the hibakusha who survived. Then we’ll take a look at atomic bomb literature itself. Our focus text is "Masks of Whatchamacallit" by Kyoko Hayashi (follow the link to read for free), translated by Kyoko Selden.

CW: war, illness (historical and fictional), suicide (historical), forced abortion (fictional), emotional abuse (fictional)

Notes and sources on the episode page. Transcript available.

Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.)

Please note that text messages are for feedback only. RJL can't respond directly.
Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com.
Support RJL on Patreon.com.
Buy your books from Bookshop.org.
All content © 2024 Read Japanese Literature.