"Old Courtesan" Author: [Japan] Okamoto Kanoko Publisher: Chongqing Publishing House Douban Novel Annual Hot List

👘【Editor's recommendation】

★ Confused personality×fierce literary student×artistic madness:

A collection of the masterpieces of Kanoko Okamoto, the "first extraordinary woman" in Japanese literature, a female pioneer and a genius writer

In her, I saw the light of our life path. - Yasunari Kawabata

Kanoko is the most outstanding and intelligent woman I have ever known. - Ryunosuke Akutagawa

There are many female writers in the modern Japanese literary world, including Yosano Akiko, Higuchi Ichiyo, Hayashi Fumiko... and among them there is a unique star shining in the literary world - Okamoto Kanoko. She is a female writer praised by many literary masters, including Kawabata Yasunari and Akutagawa Ryunosuke, and is also one of the few outstanding writers admired by younger generations (Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, Yoshimoto Banana, Arai Ichizo).

Her unique and complex life and brilliant talent also made her a popular writer among her contemporaries. Kanoko can grab energy from darkness, and everything in the external environment can be absorbed and nourished by her. The same is true for the characters she writes about. When she grows old, she feels unwilling, reminiscing, warm, Zen, and relieved. She has never grown old, and she has always been a willful and gentle girl.

★Sharp and sober insight into the human world, the final settlement of the legendary hesitation

A book about the human condition and self-awareness in the gap between the old and new eras

Her pen carves out the flow of "life" and the obsession of "fate"——

Kanoko's writing may seem restrained, but it actually contains surging passion - "People are living beings with flesh and blood."

"Old Courtesan's Notes" is like a book about the human condition and self-awareness in the gap between the old and new eras. Through the description of people in different situations, it conveys the vigorous desire for "life" and the open-minded feelings of courage to face adversity. The old and the young, the people in decline, and the people in distress shuttle back and forth. At the end of the lonely life, there are all kinds of throbbing, reflecting the vigorous desire for "life".

People go back and forth in the world, experiencing all kinds of suffering. The novel explores the desire and pursuit of "life" in the changes of life and the passage of time. Just like the life of ordinary people, the text touches on the difficult secrets of everyone's life.

★Their story begins with "Old Courtesan" and ends with "Dancing Courtesan"

Geisha, swimming coach, restaurant girl... tears and passion, independence and tenacity, brilliance and abundance

A brand new selection of articles, infused with the female gaze, condensing the richness and beauty, love and madness of women

Well-known translator Lake selected 10 representative short stories and constructed a new selection idea. Among them, "Bat" was published in China for the first time; "Family Spirit" was selected into Japanese national language textbooks and is a recognized classic.

The one-page version of "Old Courtesans" begins with the famous work "Old Courtesans" and ends with "Maiko", like a flashback of the life of a legendary woman. "Old Courtesans", which is known as the most perfect short story since the Meiji era, and the semi-autobiographical novel "Maiko", alludes to Kanoko's experience of turning from a waka poet to a novelist. In the 10 works, the delicate gaze of women is never absent. Whether they play the leading role or not, their independence and tenacity are moving.

★The love for the most ordinary things shows the unique classical fragility, delicacy and loneliness of Japan

Okamoto Kanoko uses steady and delicate brushstrokes to effortlessly present the rich and full beauty of the most ordinary things in daily life. It is the people wearing dark blue kimonos with melancholy expressions; it is the sushi pressed with salted saury; it is the gold carving craftsmanship, and it is also the irresistible Tokaido hiking... The works are full of the beauty of Japan: mono no aware, impermanence, and loneliness.

★ The new and famous translator Lake, with all her tenderness and dedication, translates

Kanoko Okamoto's works are dense, enchanting, chaotic, and mellow. The cutting-edge translator Lake has put all his efforts into the translation, meticulously conveying the beauty of Japanese literature, sticking to the original text as closely as possible, with a beautiful style and sincere emotions.

★ Well-known painters x cutting-edge designers: ingenious design, treasured products

In terms of visual presentation, designer Xihe chose the work "Bone Flower" by illustrator Wu Yi, which fits the core of Kanoko's work - flowers and white bones: "Above death, every day of life is a flower." The hardcover has a square spine, the outer cover is printed in a special color, and the text uses Swedish light paper, which is easy to read and delicate to protect the eyes.

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🏮【Content Introduction】

"The life we ​​live is a slow and sluggish one. It's like dealing with an old paper lantern, lighting it up and then extinguishing it, and then extinguishing it and then lighting it up again."

This book selects 10 representative short stories by Kanoko Okamoto, a female writer in the Taisho literary world of Japan, including classic works such as "Old Courtesan's Notes", "Sushi", "House Spirit" and "Maiko". It can be regarded as a book about the human condition and self-awareness in the gap between the old and new times: the old and the young, those in declining life, and those in distress are all struggling and confused at the crossroads, with a restrained and strong vitality flowing through them.