Carte

Among the jumble of paperweights, plates, typewriters and general bric-a-brac in Mr Nakano's thrift store, there are treasures to be found. Each piece carries its own story of love and loss - or so it seems to Hitomi, when she takes a job there working behind the till. Nor are her fellow employees any less curious or weatherworn than the items they sell. There's the store's owner, Mr Nakano, an enigmatic ladies' man with several ex-wives; Sakiko, his sensuous, unreadable lover; his sister, Masayo, an artist whose free-spirited creations mask hidden sorrows. And finally there's Hitomi's fellow employee, Takeo, whose abrupt and taciturn manner Hitomi finds, to her consternation, increasingly disarming. A beguiling story of love found amid odds and ends, The Nakano Thrift Shop is a heart-warming and utterly charming novel from one of Japan's most celebrated contemporary novelists.

Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love. Perfectly constructed, funny, and moving, Strange Weather in Tokyo is a tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance.

Inspirat din fapte reale, romanul Puntea viselor surprinde Japonia anilor 1870 ’ o epoca in plina schimbare, cand, dupa razboiul civil, civilizatia occidentala incepe sa patrunda in cultura traditionala, testandu-i astfel limitele, deschiderea si reticenta fata de nou atat la nivel vestimentar, culinar, cat si al obiceiurilor. Este momentul in care, dupa ce au fost invinse fortele shogunului, generalul Kitaoka, dezamagit de noul regim, va pune la cale o rascoala. Pe acest fundal tulbure se va contura frumoasa poveste de dragoste, aparent imposibila, dintre Taka si Nobu.

Un roman de o forta extraordinara, care ilustreaza, fara indoiala, mostenirea marilor prozatori moderni ai Japoniei.” (La Vanguardia)

Cele zece iubiri ale lui Nishino capteaza deopotriva unde secrete ale obiectelor, ale naturii si, in stilul bine-cunoscut al lui Hiromi Kawakami, dincolo de simplitatea naratiunii, te face sa simti un parfum si un freamat care dureaza.

"Multi spun, scrie cu modestie Mineko Iwasaki, ca am fost cea mai buna gheisa din generatia mea; am fost cu siguranta gheisa care s-a bucurat de cel mai mare succes." Instruita de la varsta de cinci ani pentru aceasta dificila profesie, Mineko a trait printre alte geiko ("femei ale artei") intr-o okia din faimosul karyukai Gion Kobu al Kyoto-ului si a practicat stravechile ritualuri nipone ale primirii de oaspeti.