I believe Bester did a good job translating these stories, but the distance in language, culture and time was hard to overcome. I would love to have read this in an academic setting with an expert and group discussion. I think the library copy once was a schoolbook. Most of the stories were funny and poignant and creative and meaningful but I always felt there was something I was missing. Usually it was small, a nuance of character or the greater meaning of the setting. Sometimes I totally missed the point, moral or satirical. Sometimes I wondered if I drew a different conclusion than the author meant, from what I do understand of Japan in that time period. The descriptions in the stories were quite vivid and I enjoyed most of them despite my shortcomings.
The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa
translated by John Bester
4 stars
I believe Bester did a good job translating these stories, but the distance in language, culture and time was hard to overcome. I would love to have read this in an academic setting with an expert and group discussion. I think the library copy once was a schoolbook. Most of the stories were funny and poignant and creative and meaningful but I always felt there was something I was missing. Usually it was small, a nuance of character or the greater meaning of the setting. Sometimes I totally missed the point, moral or satirical. Sometimes I wondered if I drew a different conclusion than the author meant, from what I do understand of Japan in that time period. The descriptions in the stories were quite vivid and I enjoyed most of them despite my shortcomings.