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Сальмонельщики с планеты Порно
Ясутака Цуцуи - пожалуй, последний классик современной японской литературы, до сих пор остававшийся неизвестным российскому читателю. Его называли "японским Филипом Диком" и "духовным отцом Харуки Мураками", многие из его книг были экранизированы - например, по роману "Паприка" Сатоси Кон поставил знаменитое одноименное аниме.
В предлагаемом вашему вниманию сборнике бонсай навевает эротические сны, а простой токийский клерк ни с того ни с сего становится объектом внимания всех СМИ, японский торговый представитель вынужден пойти на почасовую службу в армию африканской страны Галибии, власти давшего крен плавучего города Марин-Сити отказываются признать этот очевидный факт, а последний в стране курильщик засел на крыше парламента, отбиваясь от газовых атак вертолетов ВВС...
В предлагаемом вашему вниманию сборнике бонсай навевает эротические сны, а простой токийский клерк ни с того ни с сего становится объектом внимания всех СМИ, японский торговый представитель вынужден пойти на почасовую службу в армию африканской страны Галибии, власти давшего крен плавучего города Марин-Сити отказываются признать этот очевидный факт, а последний в стране курильщик засел на крыше парламента, отбиваясь от газовых атак вертолетов ВВС...
320 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2005
96 people are currently reading
2370 people want to read
About the author
Yasutaka Tsutsui
267 books362 followersYasutaka Tsutsui (筒井康隆) is a Japanese novelist, science fiction author, and actor. Along with Shinichi Hoshi and Sakyo Komatsu, he is one of the most famous science fiction writers in Japan. His Yume no Kizaka Bunkiten won the Tanizaki Prize in 1987. He has also won the 1981 Izumi Kyoka award, the 1989 Kawabata Yasunari award, and the 1992 Nihon SF Taisho Award. In 1997, he was decorated as a Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
His work is known for its dark humour and satirical content. He has often satirized Japanese taboos such as disabilities and the Tenno system, and has been victim to much criticism as a result. From 1993 to 1996, he went on a writing-strike to protest the excessive, self-imposed restraint of Japanese publishers.
One of his first novels, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo (1967), has been adapted into numerous media including film, television and manga. Another novel, Paprika (1993), was adapted into an animated film by the director Satoshi Kon in 2006.
His work is known for its dark humour and satirical content. He has often satirized Japanese taboos such as disabilities and the Tenno system, and has been victim to much criticism as a result. From 1993 to 1996, he went on a writing-strike to protest the excessive, self-imposed restraint of Japanese publishers.
One of his first novels, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo (1967), has been adapted into numerous media including film, television and manga. Another novel, Paprika (1993), was adapted into an animated film by the director Satoshi Kon in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews
May 23, 2020
Una serie de relatos bizarros o que podríamos clasificar como dentro del género del absurdos. Para mi son excelentes, me he reído muchísimo.
May 7, 2009
Barely hearing of Mr. Yasutaka Tsutsui, I picked this book up in Tokyo for the plane ride back to Los Angeles - basically because it was a collection of short stories and it's easier for me to put down once in awhile - but alas I had a hard time leaving my hands off this book. A really remarkable read!
In many ways his short stories remind me of Boris Vian's short fiction, and almost all of them are rather absurd. Yet the main character is always the everyman going through some frustrating extraordinary situation. Very funny, light on its toes, yet serious subject matters. Wonderful discovery for me!
In many ways his short stories remind me of Boris Vian's short fiction, and almost all of them are rather absurd. Yet the main character is always the everyman going through some frustrating extraordinary situation. Very funny, light on its toes, yet serious subject matters. Wonderful discovery for me!
April 2, 2013
I got this beautiful looking book from the library. The received stamp is dated 2008 and five years later it looks immaculate. I'm not sure there's much demand for fantastical allegories of 70s Japanese society in Western Australia. However highly regarded the author is in his native country and however rare it is to find his work translated to English.
I hate the idea of mentioning him but there really is similarity to Haruki Murakami in this collection of short stories from Tsutsui. It feels like a lazy comparison however, they're both Japanese, one is an international superstar of magical realism style fiction and the other wrote novels that were the basis for anime. It's bordering on comparing both authors to the creator of Godzilla but it's the best I can do! I do however see in them the evolution of the traditional literary fantasy story form from Akutagawa to Tsutsui, which is bordering on an academic conclusion if you stretch the definition far enough.
Tsutsui's stories are incredibly surreal, absurdist takes on contemporary Japan, originally published in the late 70s they still remain relevant commentary on 21st century western culture. Whether that is because the West has caught up with Japan or things change a lot less than we would like to credit ourselves with I cannot say.
As with about all collections of short stories there are the good, the bad and the ugly and you never know what you're going to get from one to the next. If you're interested in Japanese culture as analysed by a popular Japanese icon then this collection is well worth your time. If you're looking for titillation based on the rather bizarre title I suggest that you keep on searching for your next fix.
I hate the idea of mentioning him but there really is similarity to Haruki Murakami in this collection of short stories from Tsutsui. It feels like a lazy comparison however, they're both Japanese, one is an international superstar of magical realism style fiction and the other wrote novels that were the basis for anime. It's bordering on comparing both authors to the creator of Godzilla but it's the best I can do! I do however see in them the evolution of the traditional literary fantasy story form from Akutagawa to Tsutsui, which is bordering on an academic conclusion if you stretch the definition far enough.
Tsutsui's stories are incredibly surreal, absurdist takes on contemporary Japan, originally published in the late 70s they still remain relevant commentary on 21st century western culture. Whether that is because the West has caught up with Japan or things change a lot less than we would like to credit ourselves with I cannot say.
As with about all collections of short stories there are the good, the bad and the ugly and you never know what you're going to get from one to the next. If you're interested in Japanese culture as analysed by a popular Japanese icon then this collection is well worth your time. If you're looking for titillation based on the rather bizarre title I suggest that you keep on searching for your next fix.
December 30, 2008
Well, this was weird. I really liked some of the stories in this collection—and I deeply loathed others. “The Very Edge of Happiness,” for example, is a brilliant and chilling piece of social commentary; “The World Is Tilting,” however, is one of the most misogynistic pieces of crap I’ve suffered through all year. What am I supposed to do with that?
You know, I really hate that I’m even in the position to have to review half of what I read from the perspective of my angry ovaries; I start to feel like the girl who cried sexism. On the other hand… THERE ARE WOLVES EVERYWHERE. HIDE YOUR SONS! ARM YOUR DAUGHTERS! I’m just going to keep beating on this thing until it goes away.
You know, I really hate that I’m even in the position to have to review half of what I read from the perspective of my angry ovaries; I start to feel like the girl who cried sexism. On the other hand… THERE ARE WOLVES EVERYWHERE. HIDE YOUR SONS! ARM YOUR DAUGHTERS! I’m just going to keep beating on this thing until it goes away.
May 31, 2015
If you like stories that are slightly off-centre, quirky but coherent, interesting and humourous then you'll like this. This is how the first story begins:
The Dabba Dabba Tree
My father came up from the country carrying a curiously shaped bonsai tree.
“This here’s a Dabba Dabba Tree,” he announced, showing it to me and my wife. “It’s a special kind of cedar, see.”
“My, what an odd-looking thing,” said my wife, examining it with a look of puzzlement.
The tree was about eight inches tall. It was thicker at the base but tapered off towards the top, where the foliage was more sparse. Standing upright, the trunk formed a perfect cone.
“Yes, and what an odd name,” I added, watching my father’s expression. Perhaps it would shed some light on his reason for bringing the tree.
“Well, it’s not just the name that’s odd,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “If you put this Dabba Dabba Tree in your bedroom at night, you’ll have fruity dreams till morning comes!”
“Gosh! I wonder what he means,” said my wife.
I whispered in her ear. “Erotic dreams, of course.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed, blushing.
My father gave her a lewd look and continued. “You’ve been married five years but still ain’t had kids. That’s why I brought you the tree. Put it in your bedroom tonight – you’re sure to have some cracking dreams. Go on, have it! It’s no good for an old codger like me! Kekekekekeh!” he chuckled like some weird bird, before setting off back to the country
That night, we took the Dabba Dabba Tree into our bedroom and placed it at the foot of our double bed. Yes, we were still using a double bed even after five years of marriage. Well, our bedroom was rather small. There wasn’t enough room for two beds.
“Goodnight, then.”
“Yes, goodnight.”
We dived under the sheets, excitedly turned our backs on each other, and concentrated on getting to sleep. At times like this, you want to be the first to drop off. Otherwise, the sound of your partner’s breathing gets on your nerves and keeps you awake. So much the worse if you know she’s having an erotic dream. And worse still if she starts talking in her sleep. Luckily, I nodded off immediately. And I started dreaming. I dreamt I was in my bedroom, sleeping in my double bed with my wife.
“Yes! A dream!”
I sat up. My wife was slumbering peacefully next to me, completely naked. She can’t sleep any other way. I turned my head in puzzlement.
“Great. What’s erotic about that?!”
If I made love to her after all this time, there wouldn’t be anything erotic about it at all. It would just be dull old reality whether she was naked or not.
“Well, if this is an erotic dream, I’d better do something erotic!”
I got out of bed and put my shirt and trousers on. Then I slipped on some sandals and went outside. To find a woman worthy of sharing my erotic dream, I’d have to go to the nightlife district. I walked along a dark side-road, then turned into a major thoroughfare. The street shone as bright as day, thanks to the bars and restaurants on either side. There were people everywhere.
“Where are all the tasty women then?” I grumbled. I was feeling rather tired after walking two or three blocks. Having an erotic dream clearly demanded a certain amount of perseverance.....................
The Dabba Dabba Tree
My father came up from the country carrying a curiously shaped bonsai tree.
“This here’s a Dabba Dabba Tree,” he announced, showing it to me and my wife. “It’s a special kind of cedar, see.”
“My, what an odd-looking thing,” said my wife, examining it with a look of puzzlement.
The tree was about eight inches tall. It was thicker at the base but tapered off towards the top, where the foliage was more sparse. Standing upright, the trunk formed a perfect cone.
“Yes, and what an odd name,” I added, watching my father’s expression. Perhaps it would shed some light on his reason for bringing the tree.
“Well, it’s not just the name that’s odd,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “If you put this Dabba Dabba Tree in your bedroom at night, you’ll have fruity dreams till morning comes!”
“Gosh! I wonder what he means,” said my wife.
I whispered in her ear. “Erotic dreams, of course.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed, blushing.
My father gave her a lewd look and continued. “You’ve been married five years but still ain’t had kids. That’s why I brought you the tree. Put it in your bedroom tonight – you’re sure to have some cracking dreams. Go on, have it! It’s no good for an old codger like me! Kekekekekeh!” he chuckled like some weird bird, before setting off back to the country
That night, we took the Dabba Dabba Tree into our bedroom and placed it at the foot of our double bed. Yes, we were still using a double bed even after five years of marriage. Well, our bedroom was rather small. There wasn’t enough room for two beds.
“Goodnight, then.”
“Yes, goodnight.”
We dived under the sheets, excitedly turned our backs on each other, and concentrated on getting to sleep. At times like this, you want to be the first to drop off. Otherwise, the sound of your partner’s breathing gets on your nerves and keeps you awake. So much the worse if you know she’s having an erotic dream. And worse still if she starts talking in her sleep. Luckily, I nodded off immediately. And I started dreaming. I dreamt I was in my bedroom, sleeping in my double bed with my wife.
“Yes! A dream!”
I sat up. My wife was slumbering peacefully next to me, completely naked. She can’t sleep any other way. I turned my head in puzzlement.
“Great. What’s erotic about that?!”
If I made love to her after all this time, there wouldn’t be anything erotic about it at all. It would just be dull old reality whether she was naked or not.
“Well, if this is an erotic dream, I’d better do something erotic!”
I got out of bed and put my shirt and trousers on. Then I slipped on some sandals and went outside. To find a woman worthy of sharing my erotic dream, I’d have to go to the nightlife district. I walked along a dark side-road, then turned into a major thoroughfare. The street shone as bright as day, thanks to the bars and restaurants on either side. There were people everywhere.
“Where are all the tasty women then?” I grumbled. I was feeling rather tired after walking two or three blocks. Having an erotic dream clearly demanded a certain amount of perseverance.....................
May 18, 2022
Yep. One story really is about a porno planet. A planet where ever large animal wants to have sex with every other animal. Even some of the plants want to sex you up. The story doesn't make lots of sense, but it is just as bizarre and horrifying as Junji Ito manga. The rest of the stories are a mixed bag. (Other reviewers say they come from different periods in this prolific authors work. The book doesn't identify the original publication dates.)
Characters are never very fully formed, and the female characters are the worst. But there are some interesting stories. No idea how I decided to read this. Maybe because the author wrote the book that the anime movie Paprika is based on.
Characters are never very fully formed, and the female characters are the worst. But there are some interesting stories. No idea how I decided to read this. Maybe because the author wrote the book that the anime movie Paprika is based on.
December 24, 2008
Occasionally gruesome and sometimes (though not as often as you might expect from the title) sexually graphic, this is not a book for kids. It is a beautiful package, though. As called out by BoingBoing, this book has one of the best covers of 2008, with photographic collages front and back designed by Jonathan Sainsbury.
Translator Andrew Driver also deserves recognition for his deft work in general, and for particular choices which must have been difficult - Tsutsui's characters and locations are often named with punning, idiomatic neologisms.
But none of this would matter if the stories themselves weren't worthy of the effort. Fortunately, the contents stand up to the packaging. No two stories are alike, but in all of them Tsutsui's strongly-drawn characters face absurd situations. American authors like Kurt Vonnegut or Philip José Farmer might do justice to some of them, but others could only have come from Japan. From the wry irony of the first tale, "The Dabba-Dabba Tree," in which the tree of the title brings erotic dreams to husband and wife, through the bewildered protagonist of "Commuter Army," to the exuberant nomenclature and fleshly excesses of the concluding title story, Tsutsui shows us his versatility. It's no wonder he's won multiple awards in his own country... it may well be that this book is a breakthrough for him in the States as well. It's certainly worth checking out.
Translator Andrew Driver also deserves recognition for his deft work in general, and for particular choices which must have been difficult - Tsutsui's characters and locations are often named with punning, idiomatic neologisms.
But none of this would matter if the stories themselves weren't worthy of the effort. Fortunately, the contents stand up to the packaging. No two stories are alike, but in all of them Tsutsui's strongly-drawn characters face absurd situations. American authors like Kurt Vonnegut or Philip José Farmer might do justice to some of them, but others could only have come from Japan. From the wry irony of the first tale, "The Dabba-Dabba Tree," in which the tree of the title brings erotic dreams to husband and wife, through the bewildered protagonist of "Commuter Army," to the exuberant nomenclature and fleshly excesses of the concluding title story, Tsutsui shows us his versatility. It's no wonder he's won multiple awards in his own country... it may well be that this book is a breakthrough for him in the States as well. It's certainly worth checking out.
July 2, 2018
Overall funny, weird and really rather insightful into society at the moment.
1st story - it's so weird it's funny, after reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo it's nice to not have to think to hard about what I'm reading. A solid start to a book of short stories.
2nd story - just as weird as the first one. I haven't had a proper giggle at a book in a while. Good book for that.
3rd story - short, sweet and really funny.
4th story - I can't stop laughing, you know when you laugh at dark humor and you know you should but it's just funny. I think this story is the best one so far about "human folly"
5th story - it was a bit odd but didn't really catch me much.
6th story - I think it's the perfect depiction of the modern consumer. Terrifyingly accurate in my opinion.
7th Story - I didn't really understand what it meant. like it was a bit funny but I didn't understand the moral behind it.
8th story - Funny as hell, another one that has done well in illustrating the modern society we live in
9th story - just haha, weird and funny as ever
10th story - Mozart, using facts then adding a twist making it short and sweet.
11th story - as a smoker I found this funny and a real page turner. Not sure what a non-smoker would think of it...
12th story - yet another brilliant short that well describes society, we miss the beautiful things in life for a high...
13th story - well I must admit the most inappropriate and by FAR the most weird (and I'd thought we'd surpassed weird a while ago.)
1st story - it's so weird it's funny, after reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo it's nice to not have to think to hard about what I'm reading. A solid start to a book of short stories.
2nd story - just as weird as the first one. I haven't had a proper giggle at a book in a while. Good book for that.
3rd story - short, sweet and really funny.
4th story - I can't stop laughing, you know when you laugh at dark humor and you know you should but it's just funny. I think this story is the best one so far about "human folly"
5th story - it was a bit odd but didn't really catch me much.
6th story - I think it's the perfect depiction of the modern consumer. Terrifyingly accurate in my opinion.
7th Story - I didn't really understand what it meant. like it was a bit funny but I didn't understand the moral behind it.
8th story - Funny as hell, another one that has done well in illustrating the modern society we live in
9th story - just haha, weird and funny as ever
10th story - Mozart, using facts then adding a twist making it short and sweet.
11th story - as a smoker I found this funny and a real page turner. Not sure what a non-smoker would think of it...
12th story - yet another brilliant short that well describes society, we miss the beautiful things in life for a high...
13th story - well I must admit the most inappropriate and by FAR the most weird (and I'd thought we'd surpassed weird a while ago.)
May 27, 2021
La mayoría de los cuentos son geniales, pero el último, que da nombre al libro y es el más largo, es de los mejores cuentos de ciencia ficción y comedia que he leído.
March 26, 2017
(2,5/5)
El primer relato, "El bonsái Dabadaba", me parece divertido y simpático, como un episodio gamberrete de "La dimensión desconocida". Un poco previsible, en realidad, pero bien sin ser nada del otro mundo.
"Rumores sobre mí" es un buen relato y una buena metáfora sobre los medios de comunicación, aunque la conclusión es un poco anticlimática.
"El límite de la felicidad" es el relato con menos sentido del humor y el más punzante. Es el más claramente alegórico y también el que me parece más eficaz a todos los niveles. Para mí, el único relato excelente del volumen.
"El mundo se inclina" no me gusta en ninguno de sus aspecto, ni como relato literal ni como caricatura, por no mencionar el tono misógino gratuito. Esa misoginia está presente en otros (por no decir en la mayoría) de los relatos, pero en la mayoría se puede leer como crítica o sátira pero aquí no (cosa que no contribuye a darle puntos al relato). También es el único en tercera persona y creo que se le va de las manos al autor. Un petardo de cuento.
"El último fumador" sí que funciona como caricatura, porque por lo demás es totalmente inverosímil (eso no es un problema). Normalete, pero entretenido.
"Hombres salmonela en el planeta Porno" es el relato principal del volumen, tanto por extensión como por ser el que da título al libro. La premisa (que recomiendo leer en clave de ciencia ficción, con un verdadero novum) me parece genial y la reflexión sobre el sexo como alternativa a la agresión como motor de la evolución y como piedra angular del equilibrio ecológico me parece todo un hallazgo, pero el desarrollo es desigual y lleno de altibajos, no sé si por la traducción o por un trabajo de caracterización mal desarrollado. El desenlace está muy bien llevado. Tengo sentimientos muy encontrados con este relato: creo que vale la pena leerlo y crearse una opinión propia, pero en última instancia creo que está lejos de la altura que podría haber alcanzado.
En conjunto me ha decepcionado bastante. Dará para una buena charla en el próximo The Spoiler Club.
El primer relato, "El bonsái Dabadaba", me parece divertido y simpático, como un episodio gamberrete de "La dimensión desconocida". Un poco previsible, en realidad, pero bien sin ser nada del otro mundo.
"Rumores sobre mí" es un buen relato y una buena metáfora sobre los medios de comunicación, aunque la conclusión es un poco anticlimática.
"El límite de la felicidad" es el relato con menos sentido del humor y el más punzante. Es el más claramente alegórico y también el que me parece más eficaz a todos los niveles. Para mí, el único relato excelente del volumen.
"El mundo se inclina" no me gusta en ninguno de sus aspecto, ni como relato literal ni como caricatura, por no mencionar el tono misógino gratuito. Esa misoginia está presente en otros (por no decir en la mayoría) de los relatos, pero en la mayoría se puede leer como crítica o sátira pero aquí no (cosa que no contribuye a darle puntos al relato). También es el único en tercera persona y creo que se le va de las manos al autor. Un petardo de cuento.
"El último fumador" sí que funciona como caricatura, porque por lo demás es totalmente inverosímil (eso no es un problema). Normalete, pero entretenido.
"Hombres salmonela en el planeta Porno" es el relato principal del volumen, tanto por extensión como por ser el que da título al libro. La premisa (que recomiendo leer en clave de ciencia ficción, con un verdadero novum) me parece genial y la reflexión sobre el sexo como alternativa a la agresión como motor de la evolución y como piedra angular del equilibrio ecológico me parece todo un hallazgo, pero el desarrollo es desigual y lleno de altibajos, no sé si por la traducción o por un trabajo de caracterización mal desarrollado. El desenlace está muy bien llevado. Tengo sentimientos muy encontrados con este relato: creo que vale la pena leerlo y crearse una opinión propia, pero en última instancia creo que está lejos de la altura que podría haber alcanzado.
En conjunto me ha decepcionado bastante. Dará para una buena charla en el próximo The Spoiler Club.
September 21, 2012
This is a very interesting collection of short stories -- and, after the leaden, unreadable novel Paprika, a welcome change. I had a feeling Tsutsui could write and would be enjoyable in a better translation. Ironically, the same translator worked on this one too. Perhaps the novel was just taxing. In any event, I enjoyed most of the work in this book very much, although I think some of the stories work better than others, often mixing surrealism, humor, and lacerating satire. My favorite by far was "The World Is Tilting," in which a city built (shoddily) on an artificial island is damaged and begins to (surprise) tilt, at first comically and later, dangerously. "The Commuter Army" and "Rumours about Me" are also quite strong, following the same goofy-on-the-surface formula into darker realms. The repetitive title story bored me and I gave up on it, and there were a couple that didn't quite blaze as bright as these stronger pieces. Even so, this is a book well worth tracking down and reading. It's a far cry from much of the short fiction being published in the US and is a lovely reminder why I like contemporary Japanese writing so much.
November 3, 2023
Este libro seguro que entra en mi lista de “libros que me avergüenza que me vean leyendo porque el titulo es extremadamente bizarro”, tah, quizás es una lista muy específica, pero no me digan que no aplica, bizarro es poco.
Pero una vez que superamos el trauma del titulo y de la tapa, nos encontramos con seis cuentos cortos, o, mejor dicho, cinco cuentos cortos y uno bastante largo, que solo puedo definirlos como surrealismo cómico y subido de tono que solo podrían haber salido de la mente de un japones perturbado.
En todos ellos encontramos una critica a la sociedad desde alguna perspectiva diferente, y en general con contenido sexual, no porque los libros describan escenas de sexo, sino porque el sexo forma una parte central de mucho de lo que el libro trata.
Desde un cuento sobre un bonsai que nos hace tener sueños eróticos, que juega con el concepto de los sueños y la realidad y te hace descostillarte de la risa en el proceso, un cuento que es increíble sobre un tipo común y corriente que de un día al otro se vuelve el objetivo de todos los medios de comunicación sin saber el porque, que aparte de ser gracioso, pudo prever de cierta forma las dinámicas de poder en el mundo de las redes sociales. Un cuento que trata sobre la forma en la que la sociedad de consumo nos inclina y lleva a la violencia, a la falta de tolerancia y al desinterés por lo que le pase a los demás, y que a su vez nos impulsa a querer cada vez mas cosas, querer consumir por sobre todo, concepto que lo trata de forma cómica, al ponernos en una situación extrema y ridícula y que justamente por eso es que es tan efectiva. Otro sobre una ciudad-isla artificial que se va inclinando hasta hundirse, que es un claro paralelismo con nuestra incapacidad sistémica para hacer algo por el cambio climático, y la inutilidad del sistema político para solucionar problemas reales. Una sátira sobre los extremos a los que llegamos con la búsqueda por eliminar lo que percibimos como incorrecto, como moralmente reprobable, en la que los fumadores son considerados personas no gratas y sistemáticamente eliminados. Y por último, el que le da nombre al libro, sobre un planeta donde todo es pornográfico, toda la vegetación y fauna busca copular unos con otros, un cuento sumamente bizarro y cómico, que nos hace pensar en las cosas que entendemos como obscenas, a la vez que juega con un setting de ciencia ficción, tratando de imaginar como se podría haber llegado a un planeta con esas características, lo cual hace mas gracioso al cuento, ya que contrapone los momentos de obscenidad extrema con los de exposición científica y sumamente seria.
Es un libro que se hace ligero de leer y que es divertido, cae en ciertos estereotipos incomodos de a momentos, en parte para burlarse de ellos, en parte para criticarlos, en parte para que el mensaje sea más efectivo, pero que no quita que quizás no sea la lectura mas recomendable para alguien a quien lo políticamente incorrecto lo molesta (en cuyo caso, me pregunto que diablos hacen leyendo literatura si lo que buscan es la comodidad, pero esa es una discusión aparte).
Me preguntaría como diablos llegue a este libro, pero la realidad es que estaba en casa, mi esposa lo compro hace años, lo leyó y le pareció hilarante, y hace pila que me viene diciendo que lo lea, que seguramente lo voy a disfrutar, y debo decir que tenía razón, lo cual no quita que me pregunte de donde diablos lo sacó ella, pero tristemente no lo recuerda, así que no tengo una anécdota cómica con la que terminar esta reseña.
Pero una vez que superamos el trauma del titulo y de la tapa, nos encontramos con seis cuentos cortos, o, mejor dicho, cinco cuentos cortos y uno bastante largo, que solo puedo definirlos como surrealismo cómico y subido de tono que solo podrían haber salido de la mente de un japones perturbado.
En todos ellos encontramos una critica a la sociedad desde alguna perspectiva diferente, y en general con contenido sexual, no porque los libros describan escenas de sexo, sino porque el sexo forma una parte central de mucho de lo que el libro trata.
Desde un cuento sobre un bonsai que nos hace tener sueños eróticos, que juega con el concepto de los sueños y la realidad y te hace descostillarte de la risa en el proceso, un cuento que es increíble sobre un tipo común y corriente que de un día al otro se vuelve el objetivo de todos los medios de comunicación sin saber el porque, que aparte de ser gracioso, pudo prever de cierta forma las dinámicas de poder en el mundo de las redes sociales. Un cuento que trata sobre la forma en la que la sociedad de consumo nos inclina y lleva a la violencia, a la falta de tolerancia y al desinterés por lo que le pase a los demás, y que a su vez nos impulsa a querer cada vez mas cosas, querer consumir por sobre todo, concepto que lo trata de forma cómica, al ponernos en una situación extrema y ridícula y que justamente por eso es que es tan efectiva. Otro sobre una ciudad-isla artificial que se va inclinando hasta hundirse, que es un claro paralelismo con nuestra incapacidad sistémica para hacer algo por el cambio climático, y la inutilidad del sistema político para solucionar problemas reales. Una sátira sobre los extremos a los que llegamos con la búsqueda por eliminar lo que percibimos como incorrecto, como moralmente reprobable, en la que los fumadores son considerados personas no gratas y sistemáticamente eliminados. Y por último, el que le da nombre al libro, sobre un planeta donde todo es pornográfico, toda la vegetación y fauna busca copular unos con otros, un cuento sumamente bizarro y cómico, que nos hace pensar en las cosas que entendemos como obscenas, a la vez que juega con un setting de ciencia ficción, tratando de imaginar como se podría haber llegado a un planeta con esas características, lo cual hace mas gracioso al cuento, ya que contrapone los momentos de obscenidad extrema con los de exposición científica y sumamente seria.
Es un libro que se hace ligero de leer y que es divertido, cae en ciertos estereotipos incomodos de a momentos, en parte para burlarse de ellos, en parte para criticarlos, en parte para que el mensaje sea más efectivo, pero que no quita que quizás no sea la lectura mas recomendable para alguien a quien lo políticamente incorrecto lo molesta (en cuyo caso, me pregunto que diablos hacen leyendo literatura si lo que buscan es la comodidad, pero esa es una discusión aparte).
Me preguntaría como diablos llegue a este libro, pero la realidad es que estaba en casa, mi esposa lo compro hace años, lo leyó y le pareció hilarante, y hace pila que me viene diciendo que lo lea, que seguramente lo voy a disfrutar, y debo decir que tenía razón, lo cual no quita que me pregunte de donde diablos lo sacó ella, pero tristemente no lo recuerda, así que no tengo una anécdota cómica con la que terminar esta reseña.
July 13, 2019
Un descubrimiento maravilloso: Yasutaka y su mundo, soy incapaz de elegir alguno de los seis relatos y convertirlo en mi favorito. Hay momentos en que creo que es uno y momentos en que creo que es otro, pero es porque me han gustado todos, por un motivo u otro.
La extensión de las historias es variable, siendo el que da título al libro el más largo y más elaborado, con un contexto mucho mejor creado que los otros y esto se da quizá porque en el único que ocurre en un planeta diferente, con habitantes parecidos a los humanos pero con alguna que otra diferencia.
El autor critica una serie de valores que encontramos en sus novelas pero también en la vida real: el pensamiento único, la globalización, el cambio climático, los medios de comunicación y la banalidad de las noticias, la fama y sus consecuencias, todo ello es un reflejo de la sociedad en la que vivimos.
Por favor, corred y leed YA este libro!
Mi reseña completa en: http://loslibrosoyo.blogspot.com.es/2...
La extensión de las historias es variable, siendo el que da título al libro el más largo y más elaborado, con un contexto mucho mejor creado que los otros y esto se da quizá porque en el único que ocurre en un planeta diferente, con habitantes parecidos a los humanos pero con alguna que otra diferencia.
El autor critica una serie de valores que encontramos en sus novelas pero también en la vida real: el pensamiento único, la globalización, el cambio climático, los medios de comunicación y la banalidad de las noticias, la fama y sus consecuencias, todo ello es un reflejo de la sociedad en la que vivimos.
Por favor, corred y leed YA este libro!
Mi reseña completa en: http://loslibrosoyo.blogspot.com.es/2...
July 25, 2021
If Kilgore Trout were Japanese, he could’ve written half of these stories. If Woody Allen were Japanese he could’ve written the other half. These are decidedly un-PC stories that are for the most part pretty funny, in an unexpected sort of way.
I still have no idea where the book came from. It showed up on my Kindle. How could I pass up a book with the title SALMONELLA MEN ON PLANET PORNO?
Would I recommend this collection of stories? Maybe to my brother, whose sense of humor is similar to mine, both forged while watching Bugs Bunny, Benny Hill and Monty Python. I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else, though.
P.S. I know Kilgore Trout is a fictional writer created by Kurt Vonnegut and used as a pen name by Philip Jose Farmer.
I still have no idea where the book came from. It showed up on my Kindle. How could I pass up a book with the title SALMONELLA MEN ON PLANET PORNO?
Would I recommend this collection of stories? Maybe to my brother, whose sense of humor is similar to mine, both forged while watching Bugs Bunny, Benny Hill and Monty Python. I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else, though.
P.S. I know Kilgore Trout is a fictional writer created by Kurt Vonnegut and used as a pen name by Philip Jose Farmer.
June 29, 2022
Me gustó bastante. Una variante socarrona y obscena de Alasdair Gray, con cuentos de realidades alternas inducidas por sueños, medios, violencia o simplemente inconsciencia, ¿Será esto la metaficción?
Mis favoritos: "Rumores sobre mí", una nueva versión de reality extremo; "El mundo se inclina", original desquicio urbano en Japón; y "Hombres salmonela en el planeta porno", una bizarra y delirante aventura espacial.
Por otro lado, no sabía que "Paprika", uno de mis animes favoritos, era del mismo autor por lo que ya tengo en pila este otro Tsutsui esperando su momento.
Mis favoritos: "Rumores sobre mí", una nueva versión de reality extremo; "El mundo se inclina", original desquicio urbano en Japón; y "Hombres salmonela en el planeta porno", una bizarra y delirante aventura espacial.
Por otro lado, no sabía que "Paprika", uno de mis animes favoritos, era del mismo autor por lo que ya tengo en pila este otro Tsutsui esperando su momento.
March 30, 2017
Para mi la antología tiene un problema de forma (en algunos relatos): Me encanta la premisa y me falla el relato en sí. Eso no pasa en todos (el de los fumadores o el de la playa son maravillosos), pero sí que pasa en bastantes. A veces el autor se pierde, a veces no acaba de centrar bien el relato.
Además y eso también se me ha hecho bastante cuesta arriba, la mayoría de relatos están cargados de una misoginia que no me gusta.
Además y eso también se me ha hecho bastante cuesta arriba, la mayoría de relatos están cargados de una misoginia que no me gusta.
September 21, 2020
Con este libro tengo un pasado no muy lejano, un pasado extrecho y entrañable.
Este libro me brindó mucha felicidad, al igual que la persona que me leyó algunos de sus cuentos mientras caminábamos las montañas y unos niños buscaban desesperadamente a su mascota, una lagartija llamada Steve.
Aun puedo escuchar esa voz de mujer leyéndome... aún puedo escuchar su risa abierta y desenfrenada. Ahora, tiempo después, decidí volver sobre sus páginas y mientras leo estos cuentos sigo escuchando la risa que le provocaba la idea del bonsái dabadaba, crear sueños eróticos a quien durmiera con él; aún puedo ver su cara de asombro mientras leía el último fumador, y con incredulidad y espasmo ver como su sonrisa cambiaba mientras los no fumadores erradicaban del mundo a los fumadores.
Este libro es ella, esa mujer que me lo leyó. Así pues, queda demostrado que un libro es también quién nos lo leyó, donde nos lo leyó. Es una extensión y un puente a ese pasado tan presente en mi.
Este libro me brindó mucha felicidad, al igual que la persona que me leyó algunos de sus cuentos mientras caminábamos las montañas y unos niños buscaban desesperadamente a su mascota, una lagartija llamada Steve.
Aun puedo escuchar esa voz de mujer leyéndome... aún puedo escuchar su risa abierta y desenfrenada. Ahora, tiempo después, decidí volver sobre sus páginas y mientras leo estos cuentos sigo escuchando la risa que le provocaba la idea del bonsái dabadaba, crear sueños eróticos a quien durmiera con él; aún puedo ver su cara de asombro mientras leía el último fumador, y con incredulidad y espasmo ver como su sonrisa cambiaba mientras los no fumadores erradicaban del mundo a los fumadores.
Este libro es ella, esa mujer que me lo leyó. Así pues, queda demostrado que un libro es también quién nos lo leyó, donde nos lo leyó. Es una extensión y un puente a ese pasado tan presente en mi.
September 5, 2015
Mis audífonos se descompusieron y debo admitir que eso ha ayudado a que retome la lectura de todos mis libros pendientes.
Este, es una colección de cuentos, tan absurdos como perturbadores. Las historias siempre inician con un planteamiento que parece común, luego se torna bobo, hay un gran giro WTF y la intriga por ver cómo lo resuelven te mantiene en vilo hasta el desenlace, que casi siempre no se propone explicar nada, sólo mantener la farsa y llevarla al límite.
Funciona, funciona muy bien. Y es un libro tan torcido y peculiar que no hay que perdérselo.
Este, es una colección de cuentos, tan absurdos como perturbadores. Las historias siempre inician con un planteamiento que parece común, luego se torna bobo, hay un gran giro WTF y la intriga por ver cómo lo resuelven te mantiene en vilo hasta el desenlace, que casi siempre no se propone explicar nada, sólo mantener la farsa y llevarla al límite.
Funciona, funciona muy bien. Y es un libro tan torcido y peculiar que no hay que perdérselo.
January 9, 2017
When I started reading this book, I thought maybe it was not the book for me at this moment. But there are some pretty great highlights here, and there is more to the absurd, when you look at more things these stories speak about, like the absurd idea of war, corruption, consumerism , lack of freedom.
There is one thing though, and I can't help mentioning it. What is up with the women in this book? The only nice
Ones are the younger, sweet girls. While all other women are just interested in their husbands money, they're mean, and corrupt. Maybe he needs a little psychoanalysis?
There is one thing though, and I can't help mentioning it. What is up with the women in this book? The only nice
Ones are the younger, sweet girls. While all other women are just interested in their husbands money, they're mean, and corrupt. Maybe he needs a little psychoanalysis?
January 10, 2025
Hm. Mixed feelings about this one. I generally don’t like to play morality police with characters when I’m reading, but the misogyny that at first felt satirical becomes so rampant that you start cringing, which I think definitely tainted the experience. Also having given the author a quick google his characters really seem to reflect his outlook.
I liked the absurdism- many of the stories were just SO weird, and some of them were very funny- I liked the fact that you never really knew where you stood with them and even if you did find your feet with one the last page would completely pull the rug from under you. Bravo Herr Mozart! Was brilliant and quite Joe Lycett / Bob Mortimer esque in style. I’d actually recommend not reading them all in one go but reading them between other books, as the style can start feeling a bit exhausting, espesh with the frequent philosophical abstractions.
Overall I mostly enjoyed but was also rarely completely sure whether I was enjoying, so… mixed feelings.
I liked the absurdism- many of the stories were just SO weird, and some of them were very funny- I liked the fact that you never really knew where you stood with them and even if you did find your feet with one the last page would completely pull the rug from under you. Bravo Herr Mozart! Was brilliant and quite Joe Lycett / Bob Mortimer esque in style. I’d actually recommend not reading them all in one go but reading them between other books, as the style can start feeling a bit exhausting, espesh with the frequent philosophical abstractions.
Overall I mostly enjoyed but was also rarely completely sure whether I was enjoying, so… mixed feelings.
July 9, 2023
“Hombres salmonela en el planeta porno” es un compendio formado por seis relatos cuyo nexo en común es el humor surrealista.
Han pasado varios días desde que he terminado esta antología y según pasaban los días la resaca literaria iba en aumento.
Después del impacto inicial en mi mente se han quedado grabados a fuego. Historias muy surrealistas e incluso algunas con un toque muy bizarro pero ricas en matices y con una carga de reflexiones que te atrapa a posteriori.
Relatos que recomiendo pero que soy consciente que solo son aptos para lectores con mente muy abierta que se dejen arrastrar a ese imaginario tan peculiar como rayante.
Han pasado varios días desde que he terminado esta antología y según pasaban los días la resaca literaria iba en aumento.
Después del impacto inicial en mi mente se han quedado grabados a fuego. Historias muy surrealistas e incluso algunas con un toque muy bizarro pero ricas en matices y con una carga de reflexiones que te atrapa a posteriori.
Relatos que recomiendo pero que soy consciente que solo son aptos para lectores con mente muy abierta que se dejen arrastrar a ese imaginario tan peculiar como rayante.
December 8, 2020
Relatos cortos de metaficción japonesa maravillosos, bizarros, divertidos. Una joya.
December 10, 2020
1. El bonsái Dabadaba 5/5
2. Rumores sobre mí 4/5
3. El límite de la felicidad 3/5
4. El mundo se inclina 5/5
5. El último fumador 5/5
6. Hombres Salmonela en el Planeta Porno 5/5
Imprescindible para los amantes de la literatura japonesa con relatos un tanto curiosos, alguno de ellos se podría catalogar como bizarro.
2. Rumores sobre mí 4/5
3. El límite de la felicidad 3/5
4. El mundo se inclina 5/5
5. El último fumador 5/5
6. Hombres Salmonela en el Planeta Porno 5/5
Imprescindible para los amantes de la literatura japonesa con relatos un tanto curiosos, alguno de ellos se podría catalogar como bizarro.
March 9, 2017
Los relatos son originales y a priori interesantes, pero sólo se salvan algunos de la quema. El más largo y que da título al libro es un peñazo del copón.
August 26, 2009
I've often thought that if I placed my left foot forward first instead of my right or sneezed 3 times in a row and held in the 4th or hiccuped and coughed just right, reality would probably shift a little to the side revealing a parallel reality, a reality that would at first appear slightly screwed and skewed but then would feel just like any another humdrum reality. I often think of such silly things. I often get the hiccups.
Tsutsui evidently hiccuped and coughed just right. This book of stories may at first seem absurd but when you stop and think about it, they could be the real thing. Isn't our reality absurd? Some of the stories though totally outlandish seemed familiar. Like any book of short stories some fall flat and some are just brilliant. The title story falls in between.
And now as my little fingers peck at this keyboard creating symbols that appear as insults to a tribe of people living in the remote jungles of Borneo I'm thinking I should have released that 4th sneeze.
Tsutsui evidently hiccuped and coughed just right. This book of stories may at first seem absurd but when you stop and think about it, they could be the real thing. Isn't our reality absurd? Some of the stories though totally outlandish seemed familiar. Like any book of short stories some fall flat and some are just brilliant. The title story falls in between.
And now as my little fingers peck at this keyboard creating symbols that appear as insults to a tribe of people living in the remote jungles of Borneo I'm thinking I should have released that 4th sneeze.
August 10, 2014
A gallery of fascinating obscenity and reality-bending tales that I am sure to reread. Kafkaesque in execution, there is much of the truly strange observable in the mundane, serving as obvious metaphors for humanity's borderline-insanity. While the narrators are all of a similar waylaid or powerless and cuckolded variety, the stories are surprisingly different in content with many strong and distinguishing moments. This was very unlike anything I've ever read, and explores themes of sexuality, corporate militarism, reality media fever, the hilarity of time travel, cultural taboos, and reluctant adventurism.
January 26, 2017
Stories range from 3* to 5* (cannot finish The World Is Tilting though).
It's been a very long time since I last watched or read something that is truly "weird Japan", and moreover, all the weird stuff here makes perfect sense and has their purpose. Tsutsui's story-building is remarkably dramatic and sometimes the ending makes you go "eh that's it?", but surprisingly, it's not disappointing. Most stories are so vividly comical that I can see them in manga form, and despite being not grotesque and much deeper, they remind me of Kago Shintaro's works.
The Very Edge of Happiness is pure gold, it's the 2nd short story to daze me that much (1st one being Patriotism by Mishima).
It's been a very long time since I last watched or read something that is truly "weird Japan", and moreover, all the weird stuff here makes perfect sense and has their purpose. Tsutsui's story-building is remarkably dramatic and sometimes the ending makes you go "eh that's it?", but surprisingly, it's not disappointing. Most stories are so vividly comical that I can see them in manga form, and despite being not grotesque and much deeper, they remind me of Kago Shintaro's works.
The Very Edge of Happiness is pure gold, it's the 2nd short story to daze me that much (1st one being Patriotism by Mishima).
August 14, 2016
Not very good. I tried to like it 2 years ago. Didn't work. I tried again, last year. Still nothing. Last night, was the final straw, after I read the short story, "Don't Laugh." Absurd just for the sake of being absurd. There's literally no substance--unless it is all ((whoosh)) completely going over my head? There just isn't enough time in this life to be reading everything, or something I don't want to read (anymore). I think I am going to try and sell my copy. Let me know if you are interested.
January 15, 2024
4.5⭐️
Just my kind of unhinged
Just my kind of unhinged
November 20, 2025
Todo lo que acaba de decir, no hace más que demostrar lo grave que es su caso. [...] Bien. Usted me ha preguntado hace un momento cómo podría adaptarse a un ambiente anormal sin perder el juicio. –Mientras hablaba, el doctor se incorporó lentamente y se dirigió a un armario de cristal lleno de medicinas–. Sin embargo, encuentro que su caso es contradictorio. Un ambiente lo crean las personas que viven en él. Por eso, usted es una de las personas que están creando este ambiente anormal. Por consiguiente, si su ambiente es anormal, usted también debe ser anormal.
Abrió un frasco marrón con una etiqueta en la que ponía “Sedantes” y se echó en la mano una gran cantidad de píldoras blancas.
El doctor se metió con avidez las pastillas en la boca mientras seguía hablando.
Por tanto, si usted insiste en poner de manifiesto su cordura, eso demuestra, al contrario, que su ambiente es, de hecho, normal, pero que sólo usted es anormal. Si considera que su ambiente es anormal, entonces perderá el juicio de todas todas. Pág.36-38
—No, no. Por supuesto, podrían convertirse en grandes noticias. Por eso se informa puntualmente de ellas. Pero, al mismo tiempo, informamos sobre la vida de un oficinista normal y corriente. Cualquier cosa se puede convertir en una gran noticia si los medios informan de ella —dijo él asintiendo con la cabeza—. El valor informativo sólo surge cuando se informa de algo. Pero usted, al venir hoy aquí, ha destrozado por completo su propio valor informativo.
—Sí, pero es que eso no me importa.
—Ya veo —dijo, y se golpeó las rodillas—. En realidad, tampoco nos importa a nosotros. -Rumores sobre mí. Pág.43-44
Me recordaba a una manada de elefantes que lo aplanan todo a su paso. O quizás a una plaga de langostas que no dejan nada detrás. Estas personas no son humanas, pensé, mientras escrutaba las sonrisas desdeñosas de quienes me rodeaban. Ciertamente, son animales ociosos. -El límite de la felicidad. Pág.57
Abrió un frasco marrón con una etiqueta en la que ponía “Sedantes” y se echó en la mano una gran cantidad de píldoras blancas.
El doctor se metió con avidez las pastillas en la boca mientras seguía hablando.
Por tanto, si usted insiste en poner de manifiesto su cordura, eso demuestra, al contrario, que su ambiente es, de hecho, normal, pero que sólo usted es anormal. Si considera que su ambiente es anormal, entonces perderá el juicio de todas todas. Pág.36-38
—No, no. Por supuesto, podrían convertirse en grandes noticias. Por eso se informa puntualmente de ellas. Pero, al mismo tiempo, informamos sobre la vida de un oficinista normal y corriente. Cualquier cosa se puede convertir en una gran noticia si los medios informan de ella —dijo él asintiendo con la cabeza—. El valor informativo sólo surge cuando se informa de algo. Pero usted, al venir hoy aquí, ha destrozado por completo su propio valor informativo.
—Sí, pero es que eso no me importa.
—Ya veo —dijo, y se golpeó las rodillas—. En realidad, tampoco nos importa a nosotros. -Rumores sobre mí. Pág.43-44
Me recordaba a una manada de elefantes que lo aplanan todo a su paso. O quizás a una plaga de langostas que no dejan nada detrás. Estas personas no son humanas, pensé, mientras escrutaba las sonrisas desdeñosas de quienes me rodeaban. Ciertamente, son animales ociosos. -El límite de la felicidad. Pág.57
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