Most Popular Books by Philip Gabriel

Spirit Matters is a ground-breaking work, the first to explore a broad range of writings on spirituality in contemporary Japanese literature. It draws on a variety of literary works, from enormously popular fiction (Miura Ayako''s HyEten and Shirokari Pass and the novels of Murakami Haruki) to more problematic "serious" fiction (Ee KenzaburE''s Somersault) to nonfiction meditations on martyrdom and miracles (Sono Ayako''s Kiseki) and the dynamics of religious cults (Murakami''s interviews with members of Aum ShinrikyE in Underground). The first half of the volume focuses on the work of two women Christian writers, Miura Ayako and Sono Ayako. Combining a decidedly evangelistic bent with the formulas of the popular novel, Miura; s 1964 novel HyEten (Freezing Point) and its sequel are entertaining perennial bestsellers but also treat spiritual issues--"like original sin--"that are largely unexplored in modern Japanese literature. Sono''s Kiseki (Miracles) and Miura''s Shiokari Pass focus on the meaning of self-sacrifice and the miraculous and survey both the paths by which people come to faith and the spiritual doubts that assail them. Perhaps most striking for Western readers, Gabriel reveals how Miura''s novel shows the lingering resistance to Christianity and its oppositional nature in Japan, and how in Kiseki Sono considers the kind of spiritual struggles many Japanese Christians experience as they try to reconcile their belief in a minority faith.

OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD ''''A mesmerising reading experience for all of us seeking a meaningful life'' JAPAN TIMES What he experienced that day wasn’t life-changing . . . It was life-making. Tomura is startled by the hypnotic sound of a piano being tuned in his school. It seeps into his soul and transports him to the forests, dark and gleaming, that surround his beloved mountain village. From that moment, he is determined to discover more. Under the tutelage of three master piano-tuners – one humble, one jovial, one ill-tempered – Tomura embarks on his training, never straying too far from a single, unfathomable question: do I have what it takes? Set in small-town Japan, this warm and mystical story is for the lucky few who have found their calling – and for the rest of us who are still searching. It shows that the road to finding one’s purpose is a winding path, often filled with treacherous doubts and, for those who persevere, astonishing moments of revelation. Mega-bestselling winner of the Japan Booksellers Award, selected by bookshop staff as the book they most wanted to hand-sell: A tender and uplifting novel for fans of A WHOLE LIFE by Robert Seethaler. [Contains 5 exquisite hand-drawn illustrations]

Hailed by the noted critic Karatani Kojin as a more important and lasting writer than Mishima, Shimao Toshio (1917-1986) remains almost unknown in the West. Several of his short stories have appeared in English translation, yet it is only now, with the publication of Philip Gabriel''s comprehensive and searching study, that Shimao''s work is being introduced to the worldwide audience it deserves. Mad Wives and Island Dreams not only is a thorough assessment of the literary legacy of a highly original and influential writer, but also represents a significant contribution to the consideration of much broader issues relating to the emergence and nature of the postwar Japanese sense of identity. Shimao''s fiction covers a wide range of topics: the war and its aftermath, the unconscious, the nuclear family, madness, the position of women, the culture of Japan''s southern islands. Shimao''s experiences as a survivor of a "kamikaze" unit underscore much of his literature and resulted in a series of compelling short stories unique in modern fiction. Many of these early, critically acclaimed works, including the classic "Everyday Life in a Dream," are based on the narrative logic of the unconscious. Mad Wives and Island Dreams contextualizes these "dream stories" as a literary expression of wartime trauma and argues that Shimao''s powerful narration of guilt and victimization challenges standard readings of Japanese war literature. Shimao''s most popular works are the byosaimono (literally "stories of a sick wife"), which chronicle the real-life crisis of his wife''s madness in the mid-1950s. Among these is the writer''s best-known work, the 1977 novel Shi no toge (The sting of death), widely recognized as one of the masterpieces of Japanese literature. The novel further explores Shimao''s "literature of the victimizer" and wartime experience while revealing a feminist perspective that explores links between the suppressed aspirations of women and madness. Perhaps, most importantly, just as the novel examines the relationship between the wife, Miho, and her southern island roots, Shi no toge parallels Shimao''s growing concern over the culture of marginalized regions and notions of cultural diversity-a concern that would eventually result in the Yaponesia essays. In Mad Wives and Island Dreams, Gabriel succeeds in linking all of the seemingly disparate strands within Shimao''s oeuvre--the war stories, the byosaimono, the dream stories, the Yaponesia writings-categories all too often discussed in isolation. He shows convincingly that together they represent a consistent and concerted attempt to depict the existence of "the Other," the significant periphery of a less than homogenous whole. This volume will prove fascinating and important reading for those interested in questions of cultural identity and marginalization as well as Japanese literature and culture.

The Night Circus meets Lonely Castle in the Mirror in this multi-award-winning Japanese bestseller, available finally in an English translation by Philip Gabriel, a translator of Murakami - AN FT BEST SUMMER READ 2023 - OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD IN JAPAN - WINNER OF THE NAOKI PRIZE AND THE JAPAN BOOKSELLERS'' AWARD - A MAJOR MOVIE RELEASE IN JAPAN ''A thrilling and often nail-biting depiction of music, friendship, and personal demons'' OBSERVER ''Propulsive and poetic'' KIRKUS ______________________ Welcome to a magical world of music, friendship and rivalry ... In a small coastal town just a stone''s throw from Tokyo, a prestigious piano competition is underway. Over the course of two feverish weeks, three friends will experience some of the most joyous - and painful - moments of their lives. Aya was a piano genius, until she ran away from the stage and vanished; will the tall and talented Makun bring her back? Or will it be child of nature, Jin, a pianist without a piano, who carries the sound of his father''s bees wherever he goes? Each of them will break the rules, awe their fans and push themselves to the brink. But at what cost? Tender, cruel, compelling, HONEYBEES AND DISTANT THUNDER is the unflinching story of love, courage and rivalry. Most of all, it shows how three young people reconcile with the highs and lows of what it means to truly be a friend. _____________ Japanese readers love HONEYBEES AND DISTANT THUNDER: - ''The novel is a masterpiece'' 5 stars*****'' - ''Each contestant was wonderfully drawn, and I felt very moved'' 5 stars***** - ''I felt like I was right there, and there were scenes that brought me to tears'' 5 stars***** - ''This is a beyond a reading experience. It felt like some sixth sense was at work. Wonderful'' 5 stars*****