This is your comprehensive guide to the music referenced in Yu Miri’s The End of August. It is divided by chapter; songs are noted by the first words of their lyrics that appear in my translation. Most songs were identified thanks to the notes in the Korean translation of The End of August (8월의저편), translated by Kim Nanju (김난주), published by Dong-a Ilbo-sa, 2004. CHAPTER ONE: “If my mother and father are looking for me　tell them I’ve joined the Kwangbokkun…” “Kwangbokkun Arirang” (광복군 아리랑), a popular variation of “Arirang” of the era. “Spring comes to Arirang Pass, sparrows come to Arirang Pa ..read more

Translating The End of August began like most translations do: from the first sentence on the first page. 川べりを走っているのに水音がしない A literal translation: [I’m] running [along] the riverside but there is no sound of water And immediately the marathon starts. Because one thing I know from when I originally read this book years ago is that the novel is a cycle: the end which appears to be an end, the end we are promised in the title, is no such thing. A common theme in Miri’s writing: as the first page of Tokyo Ueno Station says, “Life is nothing like a story in a book. There may be words, and the pag ..read more

To mark the publication of Yu Miri’s The End of August, I’d like to share two interviews Miri did around the original publication of the novel in 2004. All text in [] brackets are my additions for clarity’s sake. Listening to the Voices of the Dead, of History: Running through The End of August An interview with Yu Miri conducted July 5th, 2004 by Enomoto Masaki Appeared in Shincho magazine, September 2004 “DISCOVERING” MIRYANG EM:        The End of August was serialized in the evening edition of the Asahi Shinbun from April 17th, 2002 until March 16th 2004; then ..read more

The cover for Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri, designed by Soraya Gilanni Viljoen. Since I wrote my first list of Japanese women authors who ought to be translated back in 2013, I’m happy to say that a good number of those I recommended have now been published in English. Obviously, I can’t take credit for that, but it delights me in the same way that betting on a winning horse does—it might’ve been odds-on but still. Better, though, is the fact that I’ve gotten to translate one of those authors myself—Yu Miri. My translation of Tokyo Ueno Station (『JR上野駅公園口』) is out April 2019 from Tilted ..read more

Since the new year, I’ve been trying to read more books by Japanese women, with a view to eventually making other people read them as well. So in no particular order, here’s my shortlist of ten Japanese female authors who need to be translated into English. Eight are living, two are dead; five have books which have been selected by the Nippon Foundation as recommended for translation; two are Zainichi, one is Chinese. All are excellent. This is based on my own, highly biased opinions, so if you think I’ve overlooked someone unfairly, please tell me about her in the comments. 1. Wataya Risa&nbs ..read more