“There’s a strange closeness you feel when reading (Osamu) Dazai, as if you know him, as a friend,” says "Retrograde" translator Leo Elizabeth Takada. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/09/22/books/osamu-dazai-new-translations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #books #osamudazai #translation #japaneseliterature #books #literature #sambett #davidboyd

Akira Otani’s “The Night of Baba Yaga” is a genre-bending novel of violence and tenderness that defies easy categorization. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/07/04/entertainment-news/akira-otani-the-night-of-baba-yaga-crime-writing-award/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #japaneseliterature #akiraotani #sambett #thenightofbabayaga #translation #lgbtq #yakuza

Looking to diversify your reading list this Pride Month? Dive into these Japanese stories of same-sex love and self-discovery. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/06/11/books/pride-in-translation-lgbtq-fiction/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #books #lgbtq #pride #yukiomishima #meredithweatherby #bananayoshimoto #meganbackus #kaoriekuni #emishimokawa #natsuokirino #philipgabriel #harukimurakami #likotomi #arthurreijimorris #akiraotani #sambett #nobukoyoshiya #marimori #hisaohiruma #makototakayama #naokawamoto #joseando

Sam Bett’s translation of Akira Otani’s queer-coded yakuza thriller “The Night of Baba Yaga” will be released on July 2, the novel's English-language debut. “It’s not a safe book,” he says, “but I mean that in the most complimentary way.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2024/06/27/books/bett-otani-night-baba-yaga-book/ #culture #books #akiraotani #sambett #thenightofbabayaga #thriller #translation

Eight translators reveal their top picks for untranslated hidden gems that will delight Japanese literature lovers. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2023/12/20/books/japanese-literature-wish-list-translators/?utm_content=buffer91763&utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=bffmstdn #culture #books #japaneseliterature #translation #pollybarton #sambett #davidboyd #andrewfitzsimons #lucynorth #allisonmarkinpowell #ginnytapleytakemori #asayoneda

The cult literary figure's new collection of 11 stories unveil the chaos, conflict and pain of women rebelling against the desires of men and seeking messy self-actualization. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2023/05/07/books/book-reviews/hit-parade-of-tears/?utm_content=buffer7bbb2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=bffmstdn #culture #reviews #davidboyd #izumisuzuki #sambett #danieljoseph #helenohoran