Glass Slipper and Other Stories - (Japanese Literature) by Shotaro Yasuoka (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Yasuoka s venal, youthful first-person narrators grasp at beauty and romance amid a changing Japan in these nine stories, all published in Japan in the early 1950s . . . Tyler s translation captures Yasuoka s effortless style, registering dark but delightful impressions of youth." Publishers Weekly

Book Synopsis

In addition to 'The Glass Slipper', this collection contains eight other stories held together by a common thread of self-perception: that the self has such depths that at times it can appear to be illusory.

Review Quotes

The writing style and translation is so smooth and comfortable, English readers will forget the book was originally written in Japanese. These same readers can also expect to learn more about behind-the-scenes WWII Japan than any of their U.S. school history books ever put forth; and I guarantee it's a lot more fun than sitting in Mr. Johnson's World History class!

"I soon became caught up in Etsuko's fantasy play. I enjoyed it. Going along with her stories made me feel as though I had taken possession of her. At her suggestion we played hide-and-seek. For all practical purposes, the house and everything in it belonged to us. There were hiding places everywhere--under the bed, behind the curtains, in the chest of drawers, in the dressing room with all its mirrors. I went upstairs and hid in a battlefield water bag that hung, unused, in the closet at the end of the hall. This was my bright idea. It wibble-wobbled around a lot while I was trying to climb into it, but it was quite comfortable once I got all the way in. I made a hole in the seam and peered through while Etsuko went up and down the hall any number of times without ever noticing me. In her wanderings she opened the bedroom door, then the dressing room door, then rushed with a shout into the bathroom, only to end up going back downstairs, calling my name and disappearing somewhere into the distance."