Product Description

"Monkey Brain Sushi" features 11 stories which introduce the brightest and boldest voices in Japanese fiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #481349 in Books
• Published on: 1993-09
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

Review
A collection of short stories, excerpts from novels, and one manga comic from Japan's "Brat Pack" that, with one exception, have not previously appeared in the US. Known as fuikkushon writers because they resemble Westerners in their directness, use of pop-culture and idiom, these young men and women look to the American "city novel" as their model rather than to traditional Japanese writers. Brash, uneven in quality, and fiercely critical of much in contemporary Japan, the fiction here covers a wide range. Haruki Murakami's "TV People," excerpted (in part) in The New Yorker, describes a world in which reality is being subverted by the manipulation of images. In Genichrio Takahashi's "Christopher Columbus Discovers America," a journey to an American base in Yokohama is as much a cultural exploration as a literal journey through the city. K., obsessed with order, in Kyoji Kobayahshi's "Mazelife," invents a Minotaur-like god to worship, and instead finds he has "summoned a demon," with only destiny in the form of annihilation left for him. Meanwhile, in Masahiko Shimada's "Momotaro in a Capsule," two law-abiding loners seek a "rebellious phase' and fail. And, in other notable pieces, a dutiful but unappreciated housewife finds happiness with a lesbian truck-driver; sadomasochism fulfills a hitherto melancholy call-girl; and a corrupt robot briefly finds love on a distant planet. With few exceptions, the writing is impressive more for its originality and fresh vision than for any great talent. But, still, a useful and lively introduction to a new generation of Japanese writers. (Kirkus Reviews)

Philadelphia Inquirer
"One of the most wholly creative collections I've read in quite a while."

Times Literary Supplement
"What distinguishes these stories are their narrators' voices: conversational, knowing, and liberally dosed with drop-dead wit."

Customer Reviews

An entertaining selection, but not without its weaknesses
This rather oddly-titled collection of '80s Japanese fiction drew together some of Japan's bright new things nearly two decades ago and produced a decidedly mixed anthology. The whole book is irreverent, yet quintessentially Japanese, and hence the unusual title. Birnbaum has done his homework here, and the selection of works is good. There is something for everyone here, from shifting gender relations to metaphysical crisis, but not all readers will
appreciate every story. Each of the chosen works is unusual, sometimes quirky, and they are short, and thus digestible, so even the distasteful segments are soon over and done with. Work like that in Monkey Brain Sushi marked the transition between the eventually boring literary obsession with the Atomic Bomb, as seen in classics like Black Rain, and modern works whose theme and styles are much more liberated. Much of the themes are typically 1980s and some of the stories may look slightly dated, but there is plenty that is still relevant - for instance, games like those described in 'Yamada's Diary' now exist, and worries over the techo-obsessions of Japan's youth are still keen. The major weakness of Monkey Brain Sushi's selection is that many of its 'short stories' are in fact sections of longer works, which read far better in context. This should probably provoke the reader into finding a copy of the complete text, which is certainly no bad thing, but the weakness, nevertheless, remains, and this can be a confusing one at times. Nevertheless, this is probably one of the best varied introductions to modern Japanese literature since the shift; for a more comprehensive sweep that takes in both sides of the divide (with more emphasis on the earlier period), the Showa Anthology (Matsumoto & Gessel, eds.) is probably more up your street. Nevertheless, an entertaining read.

a taster of contempory japanese writing
I found this book an interesting taster on contempory japanese writting. As in most anthologies some stories are stronger than others but part of that is undoubtadly down to personal taste so on a whole it provides a good starting base for people who either like me only started to read japanese fiction through works like norweigian wood and was intrested to see what other writers are out there or people looking to see what japanese fiction is about. Some of the stories are written purely as short stories and others are extracts of longer works and there is also a manga comic so its well worth reading by any one intrested in japanese fiction or short stories in general.