Single Sickness and Other Stories

New Japanese Horizons

by Mizuko Masuda, Lynne Katsukake (Translator)

Here is a collection of short stories by the contemporary woman writer Masuda Mizuko, who has been writing actively since the late 1970s and is anthologized in major collections of Japanese women's literary writing, such as Josei sakka shirizu. Throughout her writing, Masuda examines themes of selfhood and autonomy, loneliness and desire, and the deep tensions in female-male relations. Her fiction explores issues of female subjectivity and female biology in ways that are unique and intriguing. These collected stories illustrate the powerful way Masuda's fiction taps into an undercurrent of disquiet and loneliness that pervades contemporary urban society in Japan.

Genres: Japan, Fiction

165 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are seven stories in this collection, by Mizuko Masuda. The first four, I thought were very good. They were original, controlled, with a distinctive voice and purpose. The last three were boring, tedious to read, without an identifiable focus and confusing. When I reached the end - I was using an online edition, I came to the back page, which mentions all four of the good stories - and not a word about the bloopers; clearly someone else thought the same as myself.

I tried reading the introduction - to make sure I hadn't missed out on some essential background; and I quite liked reading about the author, her life, her childhood, her earlier successes, awards, etc; but when the writer started to go into each story in detail, I thought - the point is? I'd rather just read the stories themselves.

So, to be clear the stories I enjoyed and that I can recommend as worth reading are: Smoke,(Kemuri) first published 1997, Water (Mizu), 1997, Single Sickness (Dokushinbyo) 1983 and Horn (Tsuno) 1997.

The translation is by Lynn Kutsukake, and for want of any other name, I am guessing she wrote the introduction. This publication was produced by Cornell University for the East Asia Program, in 2011.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quirky, memorable and often brilliant collection of highly readable short stories. I really hope more of Masuda’s work is translated into English, as this collection makes clear she deserves a much wider audience.