Japanese Literature discussion

For February, we’ll be reading Fumio Takano’s Swan Knight, translated into English by Sharni Wilson.

From the Goodreads pages:

As the nineteenth century draws toward its close, King Ludwig II of Bavaria binge-watches television to escape his reality, side-lined by his own advisers. His one wish is to meet Wagner, the mysterious composer pumping out new music and scores of remixes every day.

He sets out, alone and in disguise, to find Wagner in the maze-like subterranean city that sprawls deep beneath Munich.

Meanwhile, Karl, a rookie musician hired by Wagner in the underground world, is shocked to be chosen as the lead singer for the Swan Knight TV music drama.

But even in the depths of the earth, the insidious shadow of political intrigue lurks. Who is Wagner, the man behind the myth? And what ultimate destiny awaits Ludwig and Karl?

Novella first published in Japanese in SF Magazine by Hayakawa Publishing, Tokyo, 2005. Later published in author's 2013 collection ヴェネツィアの恋人 (Lovers of Venice).

Here's Luna Press's page about the novel, including more information about the book, Takano, and Wilson: https://www.lunapresspublishing.com/p...

Here is a video interview of translator Sharni Wilson on translating Swan Knight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GOBJ...

And, if you’re interested, you can read my (Alison's) review in the Asian Review of Books here: https://asianreviewofbooks.com/conten....

Please feel free to add more resources!

I'm eager to hear folks' first thoughts. I really enjoyed this one!

I have been looking forward to rereading this and savoring the story more this time.
(Updated) It is so layered with bent history and critical commentary of society condensed in a very, very funny bizarre story.

Enjoying this one quite a bit . The language, imagery and whimsical ambience are pretty far off from anything I would usually read so I appreciate the opportunity to diversify a smidge ! The Luna press cover artwork sets a clockworkey tone which meshes nicely with the plot.

I just god the book and plan to start soon!

This was an example of Speculative Fiction.

Speculative fiction is a broad category of fiction encompassing genres with certain elements that are nonexistent in terms of reality, recorded history, or nature and the present universe, covering various themes in the context of the supernatural, futuristic, and many other imaginative topics.

If you enjoyed this and want to explore the genre in Japanese Literature, this series will provide a wide number of authors and their works: https://www.goodreads.com/series/3828...

Jack wrote: "This was an example of Speculative Fiction.

Thanks for the info Jack! I forgot to comment, but I liked this book even if I found it strange, borderline eerie.

I never wrote a review for this, but I really enjoyed it. It was weird, and like Gonza says borderline eerie. Very interesting book, fun reading experience. I also had fun doing a little deep dive into Ludwig II and Wagner, and listening to Wagner while reading.

Thank you, Jack, for all the other info! I am still waiting for my copy, looking forward to reading it.