Another Year, Another Project

Another year has passed. The year 2023 began promising for a steady stream of writing, both creative and critical, throughout the year. Whilst the creative one had seen some measurable progress, critical writing ceased after the publication of my first, and what was going to be the only, article for the rest of the past year.

Now that I have initiated a significant change in life-arrangement at the end of the year 2023, I have established three areas of focus for this year (aside from seeking some side gigs).

Yes, there would be three areas of focus: not two. The reason I have added one more area of focus on top of creative writing and critical writing is: I have decided to produce a reliable English translation of a Japanese author from the modernist period.

The author’s name is Motojirō Kajii (1901-1932). Whilst his work was completely neglected by the literary establishment during his brief period of activity, in the post WWII Japan, Kajii has come to be recognised for his stylistic uniqueness, the haunting poetic imageries and the stark lyricism of his prose. A few of his works have become required reading at the middle and the high school levels in Japan. Not only Kajii has been hailed as one of the most accomplished stylists in Japanese prose alongside Tanizaki and Kawabata, his mode of writing has been recognised as being singular in the context of modern Japanese literature.

Whilst that has been the case in Japan, Kajii has been little known internationally. As far as I know, there is no standard English translation of the collection of his works. In fact, as far as I can tell, the collection of his stories has been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and most recently Polish. Although some of his most representative writings have been translated into English, only a few seem accessible to highly interested readers through various literary journals. Yes, only a few, exclusively for the select audience: to discover Kajii in English, firstly one must be highly interested in modern Japanese literature to be familiar with the likely venues to discover ‘new’ voices from Japanese literature; and secondly, since Kajii left only about twenty short stories, unless one already knows who he is, it is unlikely to pause and pay attention to his little gems as one glances through the table of contents, even when one is fortunate enough to pick a publication with the translation of his work. Hence, regarding Kajii’s standing in the context of world literature, it is a gross understatement to call this current state of affair ‘tragic’ for an author of his calibre.

I shall leave to another article the speculation regarding as to why so few have attempted translating Kajii, despite the merit. Now that I have spent a few months translating a few of his most representative stories into English, when I have time for another article, I wish to elaborate more about the challenge of translating Japanese literature into English in general, but also some of the specific difficulties inherent in his style. I don’t think I am the only one who has found the task of translating Kajii into English difficult.

Nonetheless, I have decided to put my hands on this challenge. I see Kajii as someone who must be ranked equal to the likes of Kafka, Akutagawa, and Woolf. Whilst Akutagawa’s stories have been translated into English many times over, there is no standard translation for Kajii. This is deeply problematic, especially in the context of contemporary Japanese authors’ growing international popularity. Although many international readers now appreciate some of the best works of the contemporary Japanese literature, without the proper understanding of the context, the appreciation for their literary outputs will remain shallow. To fully appreciate contemporary authors, one must appreciate not merely the socio-historical context from which they have emerged, but also the literary tradition within which they first found their respective voices.

As it stands, international readers are far and away from being able to appreciate Japanese literary accomplishments in full. I fear that, even the likes of Akutagawa and Kawabata, notwithstanding the recognitions, are still singled out of the context and appreciated as exotic curiosities, not as world-class authors that they are. To do my small part to remedy this, I begin with translating Kajii and see if there is anyone who is willing to publish. Why?

Because I think if you appreciate the likes of Virginia Woolf, you will most certainly cherish Kajii. To read the writings of this little known Japanese author alongside Woolf’s has been an absolute pleasure, and I would love to share it with my English-speaking friends if I am given a suitable opportunity.

Another year, another project. Despite my poor record, I am determined to see this through.