Books, Interviews, Translations

Miura Shion Interview Part 8: The Profession Known as the Novelist

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Miura Shion is the original author of Fune wo Amu (2011) otherwise also known as The Great Passage. The anime adaptation started airing from October 16 on Fuji Television’s noitaminA block. The interview consists of eleven parts; this is the seventh part on Miura’s thoughts on what it means to be a novelist. Please go to part one “Encountering a Dictionary” to read the interview from the beginning.

Fune wo Amu episode 6

The Profession Known as the Novelist

I haven’t started thinking about the next development at all even though the deadline has passed. The idea that it won’t even come to mind is constantly there. But, it’s not good to get disconcerted there. I stay calm and start negotiations.

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Books, Interviews, Translations

Miura Shion Interview Part 7: More Reading Than Writing – Middle School Days

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Miura Shion is the original author of Fune wo Amu (2011) otherwise also known as The Great Passage. The anime adaptation started airing from October 16 on Fuji Television’s noitaminA block. The interview consists of eleven parts; this is the seventh part on Miura’s reading habits during her middle school days. Please go to part one “Encountering a Dictionary” to read the interview from the beginning.

More Reading Than Writing – Middle School Days

I made use of the school library with all my might, dropped by at the bookstore after school each time, and I wouldn’t return home unless I roamed there for hours; that’s how my life looked like.

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Books, Interviews, Translations

Miura Shion Interview Part 6: Memories of the Lessons

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Miura Shion is the original author of Fune wo Amu (2011) otherwise also known as The Great Passage. The anime adaptation started airing from October 16 on Fuji Television’s noitaminA block. The interview consists of eleven parts; this is the sixth part on Miura’s memories of her middle school lessons. Please go to part one “Encountering a Dictionary” to start reading the interview from the beginning.

Memories of the Lessons

I liked the Japanese language lessons the most. But, when I was in class I would draw in my notebook the whole time. Those drawings weren’t completely unrelated to the class. I was drawing illustrative things in my notebook for my own convenience. The scene would look like this, and so on.

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Books, Interviews, Translations

Ayatsuji Yukito Hon no Mushi Interview Part 2: The Future of Publication and the Charm of Mystery

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The second part of an interview with Japanese mystery novelist Ayatsuji Yukito, on the future of publication in Japan and the charm of the mystery genre. Ayatsuji is well-known for his debut novel The Decagon House Murders and Another, which received an anime adaptation in 2012. The interview was originally conducted in 1999, and published as a preface interview in a special issue of the magazine Hon no Mushi. Please go to part one “The Roots of Ayatsuji Mysteries” to read the interview from the beginning.

Books continue to have that much charm.

I was told [the focus] is shifting away from reading literature now.
Jukkakukan no Satsujin (The Decagon House Murders)
Jukkakukan no Satsujin (The Decagon House Murders)

It can’t be helped. Alternatives such as games and internet are flourishing; it is inevitable that the amount of readers decrease. You won’t enjoy books if you don’t actively approach it, so it’s disadvantaged too in that sense. But on the other hand “reading addicts” also exist. Books continue to have that much charm. In a broad sense the culture of the printed word won’t ever fade, and novels won’t waste away. That’s how I view it optimistically.

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Books, Interviews, Translations

Miura Shion Interview Part 5: The Meaning of “Creating a Dictionary”

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Miura Shion is the original author of Fune wo Amu (2011) otherwise also known as The Great Passage. The anime adaptation started airing from October 16 on Fuji Television’s noitaminA block. The interview consists of eleven parts; this is the fifth part on the creation and revision of dictionaries. Please go to part one “Encountering a Dictionary” to start reading the interview from the beginning.

The Meaning of “Creating a Dictionary”

Many people’s thoughts and views enter [the dictionary’s] production process, and it is completed in a series of silent discussions so to speak. We polish it repeatedly, like top-quality brewed sake, it truly is a work of… polishing.

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