Female Authors Shine: Japanese Literature from 2000 to Today

This is the final talk in 'Read Japan: A Booklover's Guide to Japanese Literature in Translation, 1960 - Now', a three-part series introducing contemporary Japanese fiction.

Thanks to the hard work of literary translators, we are in the midst of a publication boom of contemporary Japanese literature in English translation. The narrowing gap between the original publication date and the publication of translations means that English-speaking readers can now enjoy many excellent works of Japanese literature from the last two decades. These contemporary Japanese authors (many of whom are female) capture the anxieties of girls and women in the “digital native” generation.

This talk by Tamaki Mihic (a lecturer in Japanese Studies at University of Sydney) looks at novels by Natsuo Kirino, Risa Wataya, Mieko Kawakami and Novala Takemoto, as well as rising star Sayaka Murata (of Convenience Store Woman fame). It provides insight into how present-day Japanese are conceptualizing youth and femininity against the backdrop of the decreasing birth rates and stagnant consumption that have characterised the past twenty years in Japan. The talk also celebrates the release of Tamaki's new book, Re-Imagining Japan After Fukushima (ANU Press, 2020).

A recommended reading list will be provided at the end of the session. Attendees can also receive a 20% discount voucher from Books Kinokuniya Sydney, redeemable online, and will have a chance to win a book pack themed around the reading list for this talk, also courtesy of Books Kinokuniya Sydney.

'Read Japan: A Booklover's Guide to Japanese Literature in Translation, 1960 - Now' explores fiction produced in Japan through three talks. Each talk focuses on a 20-year period (1960s-70s, 1980s-90s, 2000-present), discussing expert picks from the literature of the time and highlighting the social and cultural context that informed them. Read Japan runs on Thursday nights from March 11 - 25, 2021, presented by The Japan Foundation, Sydney.

Onsite & online. Free; registrations essential.