Phyllis Birnbaum’s Followers (14)

Phyllis Birnbaum

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Phyllis Birnbaum is a novelist, biographer, journalist, and translator from the Japanese. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Times Literary Supplement, and other publications. She lives near Boston.

Combine Editions
Phyllis Birnbaum’s books

Average rating: 3.89 · 727 ratings · 111 reviews · 18 distinct works • Similar authors

	Confessions of Love by Uno Chiyo, Phyllis Birnbaum (Translator) 3.40 avg rating — 313 ratings — published 1935 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	RYŌMA!: The Life of Sakamoto Ryoma Japanese Swordsman and Visionary, Volume I by Ryōtarō Shiba, Phyllis Birnbaum (Editor), Paul McCarthy (Goodreads Author) (Translator) 4.44 avg rating — 140 ratings — published 1963 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clouds above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War, Volume 1 by Ryōtarō Shiba, Phyllis Birnbaum (Editor), Julia Winters Carpenter (Translator) 4.24 avg rating — 116 ratings — published 1969 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy: The Story of Kawashima Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing Spy Who Commanded Her Own Army 3.25 avg rating — 142 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rabbits, Crabs, Etc.: Stories by Japanese Women by Phyllis Birnbaum (Translator), Kanai Mieko (Contributor), Ayako Sono (Contributor) 3.97 avg rating — 102 ratings — published 1982 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	RYŌMA!: The Life of Sakamoto Ryōma: Japanese Swordsman and Visionary, Volume III by Ryōtarō Shiba, Phyllis Birnbaum (Editor), Margaret Mitsutani (Translator) 4.53 avg rating — 59 ratings — published 1963 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	坂の上の雲一 by Ryōtarō Shiba, Phyllis Birnbaum (Editor), 司馬遼太郎 4.29 avg rating — 52 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Glory in a Line: A Life of Foujita--the Artist Caught Between East and West 4.14 avg rating — 36 ratings — published 2006 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Modern Girls, Shining Stars, the Skies of Tokyo 3.68 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 1998 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An eastern tradition 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Phyllis Birnbaum…

Polls

Based upon the nominations here is the poll for Aug/Sept 2026
Please add your second choice in the poll comments.
Note that "Rabbits, Crabs, Etc. is out of print but it is widely available as a used book for 10$ USD or less. It might be in reprint in Europe.

We read "The Waiting Years" 2016/01 so more than 5 years ago so it is good for this poll.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami by Haruki Murakami

24 votes, 22.2%

The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi

14 votes, 13.0%

Rabbits, Crabs, Etc.: Stories by Japanese Women, anthology translated by Phyllis Birnbaum

10 votes, 9.3%

Suspicion by Seichō Matsumoto

9 votes, 8.3%

Guilt by Keigo Higashino

8 votes, 7.4%

Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki

8 votes, 7.4%

Run with the Wind by Shion Miura

7 votes, 6.5%

Tezcatlipoca byKiwamu Sato

7 votes, 6.5%

A daughter of the Samurai: A Memoir of Honor and Adventure in Feudal Japan. The Original Classic by Etsuko Sugimoto

6 votes, 5.6%

Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination by Edogawa Rampo

6 votes, 5.6%

Manazuru by Hiromi Kawakami

5 votes, 4.6%

The Master Key by Masako Togawa

4 votes, 3.7%

108 total votes

27 comments

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