My Reading List of Japanese Literature

There are many reading lists on the Internet. I like to read blogs, who deal with reading books. Some blogs I follow take their reading list from the Time Magazine’s All-Time 100 Novels  or from the BBC Big Read Top 100, one blogger created a little blog of books and then there is goodreads.  A lot to read!

I love how people write about their reading experiences, and I read a lot too. Especially I am fond of Japanese literature and always interested in how Japanese books are interpreted by others.

When I took a look at the list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2008) I  discovered, that it includes only the following Japanese titles:

Kafka on the Shore – Murakami Haruki
After the Quake – Murakami Haruki
Sputnik Sweetheart – Murakami Haruki
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle – Murakami Haruki
The Sea of Fertility – Mishima Yukio
Rashomon – Akutagawa Ryûnosuke
Kokoro – Natsume Sôseki

A good selection, without question, but unfortunately it refers only to seven books of four Japanese authors and includes four of seven titles of Murakami Haruki and only three other important works. I thought one has to add the two Nobel prize winners Ôe Kenzaburô (1994) and Kawabata Yasunari (1968) at least. But then we are only at six Japanese authors.

So, I thought to myself, how about making my own personal Japanese literature reading list? And here it is: now on a new page on this blog. It includes books I want to read or re-read and write a review here.

I would be happy, if you visit it once in a while, or make suggestions, what you like to read.

Have you already read one of the above mentioned Japanese titles? What is your favourite Japanese book?