Libraries Ask Us

Translating Japanese Literature

What do you do when your professor tells you to find and translate a Japanese short story that hasn't already been translated into English?

Indexes of Short Stories

An index is an excellent way to locate a text. Some indexes actually have subject indexes, but many just have authors and titles. Here are a few that are handy to have in your library.

短篇小說 12万作品名目錄 / [編集日外アソシエーツ].

UM East Asian Reference ; PL775 .T37 2001

短篇小說 12万作家名目錄 / [編集日外アソシエーツ].

UM East Asian Reference ; PL775 .T372 2010

Anthologies

Story for You
This is an amazing website for getting a taste of a whole bunch of contemporary authors. Each story is very short, and there are English and Chinese translations also provided.
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Please note - these stories are all under copyright.

One way to get started is to choose an author that you are interested in reading.

You may have an author in mind already, based on readings you have done in class.

Or, you may wish to consult an anthology written in English to get an overview of the period and a brief introduction to the writers and works.

Seeds in the heart : Japanese literature from earliest times to the late sixteenth century by Keene, Donald
Call Number: UM W.E.B. Du Bois ; PL726.115 .K44 1993
Dawn to the West : Japanese literature of the modern era by Keene, Donald
Call Number: UM W.E.B. Du Bois ; PL726.55 .K39 1984

Terminology

超短編小説 (cho tanpen shosetsu) short-short story

短編小説　(tanpen shosetsu) short story

中篇小説 (chuhen shosetsu) novella

長編小説 or 小説 (chohen shosetsu or shosetsu) novel

探偵小説 (tantei shosetsu) detective novels

推理小説 (suiri shosetsu) mystery novels

時代小説 (jidai shosetsu) historical (usually Edo period) fiction

歴史小説 (rekishi shosetsu) historical fiction