MONKEY New Writing from Japan: Volume 4: MUSIC

MONKEY New Writing from Japan #4

by Ted Goossen (Editor), Motoyuki Shibata (Editor)

For fans of Japanese literature (Haruki Murakami and more) and readers who want to be introduced to exciting new writers.
MONKEY New Writing from Japan is an annual anthology that showcases the best of contemporary Japanese literature. Volume 4 celebrates MUSIC, as we welcome the post-pandemic flourishing of artistic expression. MONKEY offers short fiction and poetry by writers such as Hideo Furukawa, Mieko Kawakami, Haruki Murakami, Hiromi Kawakami, Aoko Matsuda, and Hiroko Oyamada; graphic stories by Satoshi Kitamura; new translations of modern classics; and contributions from American authors Stuart Dybek, Kevin Brockmeier, and more.

Genres: Japan, Anthologies, Short Stories, Poetry, Literature

156 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

Ted Goossen is a professor of Japanese literature at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His daughter is actress Jeananne Goossen.

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monkey’s yearly magazine is fast becoming essential reading for anyone with an interest in Japanese writing in English-language translation: from prose to poetry to drama. As with previous issues, this is beautifully produced with incredible attention to detail displayed in the layout and use of colour, and it features an excellent array of mouth-watering illustrations. The theme for this one is music which is traced across a variety of writings.

Highlights include: a tantalising extract from Hiromi Kawakami’s forthcoming novel The Third Love; Haruki Murakami’s “Zombie” an unsettling tale of misogyny and toxic masculinity; a gently surreal story from Aoko Matsuda translated by Polly Barton; and Hiroko Oyamada’s striking “Flight”. There’s a selection of poetry that includes work by Makoto Takaynagi and a long prose poem from Mieko Kawakami. There’s also a new translation of a piece by classic, short story writer Ichiyō Higuchi and fiction from the 1920s by experimental novelist Taruho Inagaki which reads like absurd, flash fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC

[Alan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always look forward to the new issue of 'Monkey'. I felt that the the previous one didn't quite hit the mark, but volume 4 (of the new version) and its theme of Music certainly kept me happy.

Highlights in this edition for me included: an excerpt from 'The Third Love', Hiromi Kawakami's 2020 novel, and poetry from Mieko Kawakami, but there is lots to entertain a variety of readers. And, as ever, there are some gorgeous illustrations sprinkled throughout.

An important and valued addition every year to Japanese new writing, this is always worth supporting.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth volume of the Monkey literary magazine, this issue focusing on the theme of music.
It includes a diversity of content from Haiku poetry, a Noh play, short stories to interviews and features
big names such as Mieko Kawakami, Hiromi Kawakami, Haruki Murakami
I particularly enjoyed the short stories, which are such a great way to help readers discover new authors and read new works by familiar authors.
My favourite story in this issue is the first one, “Yoshiwara dreaming” by Hiromi Kawakami (an extract from her upcoming novel “The third love” out in English translation in June 2024). It is an atmospheric tale of a woman dreaming of her past life.
I also really appreciated the notes and comments from the translators, the unsung heroes who make it possible for us to access these works. Their insight gave me a new appreciation for their work.

Overall, I hugely recommend this magazine to anyone with a passion for Japanese literature, or wishing to sample some of these great authors.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Aria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Also on Snow White Hates Apples.

Unlike my first experience with this annual literary magazine, the fourth volume of MONKEY was, for me, lacklustre.

You see, as a piano player and music lover, I was very excited to see how the theme of music would be integrated throughout the volume. Sadly, not all the pieces had this theme in any form or manner, literally or metaphorically — which was truly odd to me because why are they here, then?

Still, in theme or not, there were some pieces that I liked well enough. The five poems by Makoto Takayanagi were otherworldly, especially when read aloud with the Interstellar movie soundtrack playing in the background. Hiroko Oyamada’s ‘ Flight ‘ succinctly portrayed the gradual loss of a woman’s individual identity as they get married and have children. ‘ Time as a Perpetual Motion Machine ‘ by Kevin Brockmeier displayed a side to time travelling and its effects in a way I rarely came across in books. The Noh play ‘ Takasago ‘ had me wishing I could watch it performed in person.

All the included insights were fascinating too. But, again, this and the few pieces I liked weren’t enough because as a whole, the volume didn’t resonate sufficiently with me.

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d like to thank the publishers of this book for this commission and sending me a pre-publication edition of the first English translation of this book in exchange for an honest review!!!

This is such an outstanding collection of some of the most unique, innovative fiction coming out of modern Japan. With a diverse range of authors, and a collection of stories surrounding the theme of Music, this book is the perfect gift for anyone interested in Japanese literature or new experimental short stories. Many of these translations are brand new, never seen before, adding more to just how much I enjoyed this collection. I’d recommend to everyone!

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth volume in a series of translated Japanese short creative writing (mostly poems and short stories.) The series (and this edition, in particular) features some of the best-known Japanese authors (e.g. Haruki Murakami and Meiko Kawakami.) Beyond a few major pieces at the beginning, this edition has a theme of music that runs through it.

Among my favorite pieces were: the novel excerpt Yoshiwara Dreaming about a young girl who is sold into the redlight district and becomes a helper in a brothel; Transformer: Pianos which is a work of surrealist fiction; The Zombie is Haruki Murakami's fresh take on the zombie story; I also enjoyed many of the inclusions in the section entitled Eight Modern Haiku Poets on Music.

It's a varied collection of writings. Not only does it include all forms of creative writing -- prose and poetic -- but the broad selection of writers and translators ensure that there is a diversity of styles and genres. That said, there isn't a great diversity in quality level. It's all strong writing, though some works will appeal to any give reader more than others. There's something for everyone.

I'd highly recommend this volume for readers of literature in translation.

[Ocean G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice collection. I'll have to get more of these the next time I go to Japan. And the authors are seriously a who's who of contemporary Japanese fiction writers.

My favorites were:

Yoshiwara Dreaming, by Hiromi Kawakami
Flight, by Hiroko Oyamada (not as good as her books, but still good)
The Zombie, by Haruki Murakami
Angels and Electricity, by Aoko Matsuda (this may have been my favorite)
Transformers: Piano, by Kaori Fujino (this was so weird)
Takasago, a Noh Play, was surprisingly fun
I also really liked "A man opens a cafe in a shopping arcade, dreaming that it will become like the jazz cafe he used to frequent as a student; the cafe is open for nearly thirty years, then closes down" (real title), by Tomoka Shibasaki

Satoshi Kitamura's "Five Parallel Lines" was refreshingly odd as well.

In other words many more hits than misses. Contemporary Japanese Fiction is really a delight to read these days.


https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

[Hikari · Rating 2 out of 5]

This edition of Monkey contains a large number of experimental pieces of writing, particularly poetry, which isn’t to my taste. The best bits of this edition are some of the vignettes & illustrations:
- The Yoshikawa dreaming excerpt made me want to read more of the novel to find out what happens next
- Oyamada’s short story Flight was a good read
- Murakami’s short story is about a man berating his girlfriend for supposedly being ugly. Why anyone thought such misogyny should see the light of day, let alone be translated, beats me
- Fujino’s story about transforming pianos was an interesting premise
- I loved the images for Kitamura’s Five Parallel Lines
- Osaki’s Cricket Girl charmingly channels a Tristram Shandy vibe in that our narrator keeps going on tangents which derail the actual story

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[DeAnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came into this as someone who had never read Japanese writing apart from manga. It is very interesting to see how different, yet vaguely similar modern Japanese writing is to western writing. At the same time the new translations of Japanese classics feel as if they are in a class of their own. You can feel the influence of the classics on the modern writings included in this anthology. I initially assumed each writing would relate to music in some way, but more often than not, the work itself left me with the same feeling of listening to a new song. Thoughts of "I must find this album and listen to all of the songs." I very much appreciate this introduction to an entirely new genre of literature.


☆》Thank you NetGalley and Stone Bridge Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.《☆

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley

MONKEY New Writing from Japan vol 4 Music is a collection of poetry, art, a Noh play, short stories and excerpts from novels from authors in Japan. The back includes a word from nine of the translators of who worked on this volume, answering what part music plays in translation.

My favorite piece was the short story Transformers: Pianos by Fujino Kaori and translated by Lauren Taylor. It’s strange and weird and makes excellent use of the POV.

The haiku poems came with the original Japanese as well as the translation, so readers studying Japanese could spend time creating their own translations of the poems as a fun exercise or to practice their translation skills.

I would recommend this to readers looking to sample the Japanese literary scene without committing to a full novel and readers looking to support works in translation.

[Daniel Glover · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fortunate find
Monkey: Writing from Japan
Pure reading pleasure

This is an excellent anthology celebrating fiction writers, poets, and translators of new Japanese literature.

The volume includes works by writers I have read within the past year:
Hiromi Kawakami (Strange Weather in Tokyo), Mieko Kawakami (Ms Ice Sandwich), Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki) and Hiroko Oyamada (Weasels in the Attic).

Will be going back to read older volumes. Highly recommend the literary journal!

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Japanese literature and culture and I really enjoyed this collection of translated poetry and prose.
There was a theme, but the pieces had a lot of variety and were really interesting. Some of my favorite writers were here and I learned about more.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

[Jacqueline Nyathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

156 pages.

Expected publication date: Nov 14, 2023 (Stone Bridge Press)

Anthology.

This is the fourth volume of this excellent anthology of Japanese writing, this time with a musical theme. Although MONKEY has been consistently excellent, with a beautiful layout, Volume Four shows much more polish than previous ones, and is a particular pleasure to read.

Some authors include Aoko Matsuda, Mieko Kawakami, Haruki Murakami, and Hiromi Kawakami. There are also a few non-Japanese writers, and in-between the fiction and poetry you’ll find beautifully-executed artwork by Satoshi Kitamura.

As always, a feast for the eyes and mind. Thank you to Stone Bridge Press and to NetGalley for access.

[xyZeereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always appreciated the effort that has been put into the Monkey series; it’s one of the many wonderful ways to discover and absorb Japanese writing and literature.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Jeremy Jl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japan's answer to Granta with an eclectic collection of writings and translations.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a particularly nice collection for the reader as it included a huge range of work be it written work or visual art. I also appreciated the theme of music which tied it all together but without being overly restrictive. I was happy to see a piece by Higuchi Ichiyo along with more modern writers. I think this issue is the sort of work one would keep by one's bedside and choose a piece to read daily. It's a lot to absorb if you try and read straight through it, so that would be my advice to readers--to savor each piece individually.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this writing. I look forward to more.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that this exists! It's such a great way to get exposure to new authors and existing favorites, as well as some classic pieces that I would not have necessarily been exposed to on my own. I really enjoyed most of the contributions and even the ones I wouldn't have considered to be hits for me, I could tell the author was trying out something interesting. I'm keeping this short and mostly about the collection as a whole because I'm not really sure how to best review a collection of works from a bunch of different creators, but overall, if you're a short story person or interested in contemporary Japanese fiction, you're going to find something to love in this anthology.