I find it so strange that two books, both by Japanese women, both discussing themes of societal and cultural pressures around femininity, work (domestic and paid), and food, would have such wildly different receptions. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Literature in Translation
Review of “The Last Children of Tokyo”: dystopias as social commentary
In Tawada’s world, the old don’t age or die, and the young are cursed with ill-health and short life-spans. Learn more about why this dystopian novel haunted me for months after I read it. Continue reading
Review of Bae Suah’s “Untold Night and Day”: reflections and repetitions
I received Bae Suah’s novel as an Easter present. Considering we are all in lock-down at the moment, I welcomed a new book to read. I am a fan of Korean literature and was delighted to find out that Deborah Smith, the translator of Han Kang’s works, had worked on Suah’s translation into English. Suah … Continue reading
Frankenstein’s monster by any other name: a comparative review of Ahmed Saadawi’s and Mary Shelley’s monsters
Mary Shelley wrote her novel Frankenstein in 1818, which tells of the young scientist Victor Frankenstein who experiments with nature and biology to reanimate a human. Frankenstein’s monster is a combination of body parts. He is hideous in form, yet cannot escape the universal human desire to love and to be loved. Frankenstein’s monster is … Continue reading
A Modern South Korean Thriller: a review of Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian”
I bought this book in Helsinki last weekend. It might seem strange to go to Finland and buy a South Korean novel, but I had been looking for this book with this particular cover art for quite some time. When I found it in the Academic Bookstore located in downtown Helsinki, I bought it straight … Continue reading
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