The Paper Door and Other Stories - (Modern Asian Literature) by Naoya Shiga (Paperback)

About the Book

A beautifully translated selection of stories by one of the most revered of all modern Japanese authors, The Paper Door and Other Stories showcases the concise, delicate art of a writer who is often called "the god of the Japanese short story." Delineating the development of Shiga's rare genius, Lane Dunlop's masterly translation has provided English readers their first overview of the author's work.

Book Synopsis

No modern Japanese writer was more idolized than Shiga Naoya. The Paper Door and Other Stories showcases the concise, delicate art of this writer who is often called "the god of the Japanese short story." Doyen of Japanese letters Donald Keene ranks some of Shiga's stories "among the most brilliant achievements in this genre by any twentieth-century Japanese writer." Shiga's unique style is concise and simple, with no unnecessary words. With the subtlest of gestures, he evokes the fullness of experience.

Lane Dunlop's masterly translation of seventeen of Shiga's finest stories has provided English readers their first overview of the author's work. Now back in print, the book is augmented by Donald Keene's new preface contextualizing Shiga's awesome literary gifts. Dunlop has chosen stories that aptly represent Shiga's range and virtuosity. With selections spanning forty years, from the fable-like "The Little Girl and the Rapeseed Flower" to the psychologically complex "A Gray Moon," this collection delineates the development of Shiga's rare genius.

From the Back Cover

No modern Japanese writer was more idolized than Shiga Naoya. The Paper Door and Other Stories showcases the concise, delicate art of this writer who is often called "the god of the Japanese short story". Doyen of Japanese letters Donald Keene ranks some of Shiga's stories "among the most brilliant achievements in this genre by any twentieth-century Japanese writer". Shiga's unique style is concise and simple, with no unnecessary words. With the subtlest of gestures, he evokes the fullness of experience.

Lane Dunlop's masterly translation of seventeen of Shiga's finest stories has provided English readers their first overview of the author's work. Now back in print, the book is augmented by Donald Keene's new preface contextualizing Shiga's awesome literary gifts. Dunlop has chosen stories that aptly represent Shiga's range and virtuosity. With selections spanning forty years, from the fable-like "The Little Girl and the Rapeseed Flower" to the psychologically complex "A Gray Moon", this collection delineates the development of Shiga's rare genius.

Review Quotes

[Shiga wrote] a number of short stories that are nearly perfect in their simplicity, directness, and mastery of subject matter.--Hiraoki Sato "The New York Times"

About the Author

Shiga Naoya was born in 1883. Throughout his long life (he died in 1971) and after, he has remained for Japanese people one of the most revered of all modern writers. His most widely known novel is A Dark Night's Passing.

Lane Dunlop is winner of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Award for Literary Translation and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Academy Award in Literature. He is cotranslator of Kawabata Yasunari's Palm-of-the-Hand Stories and the translator of several books, including Nagai Kafû's During the Rains & Flowers in the Shade: Two Novellas.