Subtitle: Writers Respond to Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Meltdown.
This is an anthology of contemporary Japanese authors and translators dealing with the disaster of March 11th 2011 published by Elmar Luke and David Karashima in 2012.
The Japan Foundation supported the publication and therefore proceeds will go to charities in Japan.
It is an inside view of Japan of the March 11th, the aftermath, and the consequences. The stories bear mixed emotions of sorrow, helplessness, love, and loss, yet the desire to live on and cope with the situation.
It took me a long time to read this book with about 17 pieces of art and non-fiction articles of Yoko Tawada, Kiyoshi Shigematsu, Yoko Ogawa, Hiromi Kawakami, Mieko Kawakami, Shinji Ishii, Ryû Murakami and others. The stories are gripping, but let me feel powerless once in a while, yet some of them are encouraging on the other side.
The Island of Eternal Life by Yoko Tawada presents a science fiction scene of 2017, where planes no longer fly to isolated Japan. A horrible scenario.
Hiromi Kawakami rewrote her well-known short story God Bless You of 1993 for this anthology.
The title is adopted by March Yarn of Mieko Kawakami about a couple. She is pregnant and has a surreal dream on the March 11th about giving birth to a baby of yarn.
All writers try to see the situation from a different angle. I recommend reading it and let the stories speak for themselves.
Japan Kaleidoskop 