Super-Frog Saves Tokyo
4.390 kr.A lavishly illustrated edition of Murakami’s classic short story. Katagiri found a giant frog waiting for him in his apartment. It was powerfully built, standing over six feet tall on its hind legs.
A skinny little man no more than five foot three, Katagiri was overwhelmed by the frog’s imposing bulk. ‘Call me “Frog,”’ said the frog in a clear, strong voice. Fully illustrated and beautifully designed, this special edition of Murakami’s celebrated short story sees the bewildered Katagiri find meaning in his humdrum life through joining forces with Frog in an effort to save Tokyo from an existential threat.
I Am a Cat
3.990 kr.Discover the original Japanese Cat classic, now in a vibrant new translation by Nick Bradley, author of The Cat and the City.
Once a stray kitten, I Am a Cat’s narrator finds himself adopted by a local scholar and thrown headfirst into the absurd upper middle-class world of Meiji-era Japan. Now a noble but somewhat world-weary observer, he has ample opportunity to dissect the strange ways and convoluted conversations of the human race.
First published at the turn of the 20th century, and regarded as one of Japan’s most iconic classics, I Am a Cat is a captivating exploration of identity, society, and the often bewildering nature of the human condition—all seen through the eyes of a very special, uncompromising cat.
The City and Its Uncertain Walls
3.690 kr.When a young man’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes, he sets his heart on finding the imaginary city where her true self lives. His search will lead him to take a job in a remote library with mysteries of its own.
When he finally makes it to the walled city, a shadowless place of horned beasts and willow trees, he finds his beloved working in a different library – a dream library. But she has no memory of their life together in the other world and, as the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur, he must decide what he’s willing to lose.
Suspicion
3.690 kr.Onizuka Kumako is a fierce woman: tall, beautiful, and not afraid to speak her mind. In Tokyo bars, she seduces customers and commits petty crime, using her connections to the local yakuza to get by. When she meets Shirakawa Fukutaro, a rich widower desperate for companionship and unaware of her shady past, the two hit it off and are soon married. But their newlywed bliss is suddenly cut short: one rainy July evening, their car veers off course, plunges into the harbour and Fukutaro is pulled beneath the waves.
Suspected of murder and labelled a femme fatale, Kumako is hounded by the press, but stays firm, repeatedly proclaiming her own innocence. As pressure from dogged journalists mounts, the tide of public opinion is rising against her. But when a scrupulous defence lawyer takes on her case, doubt begins to creep in . . .
In this intricate, psychological noir, masterfully translated into English for the first time, Seicho Matsumoto draws out the hidden demons that guide our convictions, our biases and our deepest desires.
Strange Houses
4.390 kr.A sinister hidden room. A dead space between two walls. A sealed cellar.
A child’s face glimpsed at a window. Every house hides secrets. But some secrets are far darker than others.
More than a million readers have discovered the terrible truth behind these strange houses. Now it’s your turn.
Butter
3.490 kr.Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.
Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body. Might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?
Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, ‘The Konkatsu Killer’, Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.
Strange Pictures
4.390 kr.A series of drawings made by a young woman before her death. A child’s disturbing picture of his home. A desperate sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments.
Each contains a chilling warning. Each reveals a terrible secret, hidden in plain sight.
Uketsu’s eerie mysteries have captivated millions of readers. Can you find the clues in these strange pictures and uncover the sinister truth that connects them all?
Heaven
3.890 kr.Sögumaðurinn er fjórtán ára. Hann hefur lengi mátt þola einelti jafnaldra sinna. Dag einn berst honum óvænt bréf frá bekkjarsystur sinni. Það er upphafið að vináttu byggðri á sameiginlegri reynslu þeirra. En hvers virði er vinátta sem á sér rætur í ótta og sársauka? Og hefur þjáningin merkingu? Magnað verk frá einum áhugaverðasta höfundi Japan.
Mieko Kawakami kom eins og ferskur andblær inn í fremur karllæga bókmenntahefð Japan með sinni fyrstu skáldsögu árið 2008. Síðan þá hefur hún unnið til fjölmargra virtra bókmenntaverðlauna og bækur hennar verið þýddar á yfir 30 tungumál.
Sendiboðinn
3.590 kr.Japan hefur um langa hríð verið lokað vegna ónefndra náttúruhamfara af mannavöldum. Eldra fólkið lifir lengi við hestaheilsu og annast um börnin sem eru viðkvæm og gömul fyrir aldur fram. Mumei býr með Yoshiro, fjörgömlum langafa sínum. Drengurinn er veikburða og með hitasótt en hann er klókur og alveg laus við sjálfsvorkunn og bölsýni. Yoshiro einbeitir sér að því að fæða og klæða Mumei, útvalinn sendiboða, þjakaður af samviskubiti vegna gjörða sinnar kynslóðar og afleiðinga þeirra.
Margverðlaunuð skáldsaga eftir japanska rithöfundinn Yoko Tawada, en áður hefur komið út á íslensku bókin Etýður í snjó eftir sama höfund. Þrátt fyrir að Sendiboðinn sé eins konar dómsdagsspá, þá er hér um að ræða hrífandi og gáskafulla skáldsögu.
Etýður í snjó
3.590 kr.Heillandi saga um samband manna og dýra, um útlegð, fjölskyldur, aðskilnað og það að vera öðruvísi eftir japanska rithöfundinn Yoko Tawada sem er búsett í Þýskalandi.
Yoko Tawada hlaut National Book Award (Bandarísku bókmenntaverðlaunin) í flokki þýðinga, fyrir skáldsögu sína The Emissary / Sendiboðinn.
Elísa Björg Þorsteinsdóttir þýddi.
Eftir skjálftann
1.290 kr.„Ormur býr neðanjarðar. Hann er gríðarlega stór ormur. Þegar hann reiðist kemur hann af stað jarðskjálftum. Og einmitt núna er hann mjög, mjög reiður.“
Jarðskjálftinn í Kobe er miðdepill þessa smásagnasafns eftir japanska rithöfundinn Haruki Murakami. Skjálftinn er eins og bergmál löngu liðinna atburða sem nú brjótast fram úr sálardjúpinu og skekja tilveru fólks sem svo lengi hefur stigið afar varlega til jarðar.
Haruki Murakami er einn vinsælasti rithöfundur samtímans. Á síðustu árum hafa sögur hans vakið gífurlega athygli í Japan og víðast annars staðar í heiminum.
Uggi Jónsson þýddi.
