Woman Running in the Mountains
 | |
| Author | Yūko Tsushima |
|---|---|
| Translator | Geraldine Harcourt |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Publisher | Kodansha (Japanese) Pantheon Books (English) New York Review Books (English reissue) |
Publication date | 1980 (Japanese) 1991 (English) 2022 (English reissue) |
| ISBN | 978-4061832411 |
| Preceded by | 燃える風 (Burning Wind) |
| Followed by | 水府 (Water Palace) |
Woman Running in the Mountains (山を走る女, Yama o hashiru onna) is a 1980 novel by Yūko Tsushima, published by Kodansha.[1] In 1991, an English translation by Geraldine Harcourt was published by Pantheon Books.[2] In 2022, Harcourt's English translation was reissued by New York Review Books as a classic with an introduction by Lauren Groff.[3]
Synopsis
[edit]Set in seventies Japan, the novel follows a woman named Takiko Odaka as she heads to a hospital to give birth to a boy. While her parents disapprove of her pregnancy, which resulted from an affair with a married man, Takiko embraces the challenge of motherhood—which she views as an escape from the pressures and hardships of her family—while she and her child live in Tokyo.
Critical reception
[edit]The New York Times wrote that "the book captures the intimate transformations, physical and existential, of a solitary young mother."[4] The publication also recommended the novel for their Editor's Choice column in February 2022.[5] In LitHub, Groff observed Tsushima's unprecedented handling of single parenthood as a topic in Japanese literature while also cautioning readers against interpreting her novels as I-novels or autofiction. Ulitmately, Groff called it "a book that shines with hope."[6] The Los Angeles Times argued that the New York Review Books reissue was especially relevant for the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when the struggles of parenthood became much more pronounced.[7] Minnesota Star Tribune lauded Harcourt's "fine translation" and praised Tsushima's "atmospheric, lovely descriptions" and "dreamlike, almost mystical sequences".[8] The Japan Society noted some sense of antiquatedness in Harcourt's translation from the nineties but nonetheless appreciated its "lucid quality, emphasising the artistic cleanliness of Tsushima’s prose all the more."[9] The Asian Review of Books observed the novel's attention to the experiences of motherhood, noting that "For a reader who is also a mother, Takiko’s experiences are notably familiar."[10]
References
[edit]- ^ 津島, 佑子 (1980). 山を走る女. 講談社. ISBN 978-4061832411.
- ^ Tsushima, Yūko (March 6, 1991). Woman Running in the Mountains. Translated by Harcourt, Geraldine. Pantheon Books. ISBN 978-0394582382.
- ^ Tsushima, Yūko (February 22, 2022). Woman Running in the Mountains. Translated by Harcourt, Geraldine. NYRB Classics. ISBN 978-1681375977.
- ^ Tepper, Anderson (February 12, 2022). "New International Fiction, From Ecuador to Zimbabwe". The New York Times.
- ^ "8 New Books We Recommend This Week". The New York Times. February 24, 2022.
- ^ Groff, Lauren (2022-02-07). "Lauren Groff on Yūko Tsushima's Quietly Defiant Sensualities". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ Ferri, Jessica (2022-02-23). "Review: What a 1980 Japanese novel about a single mom foresaw about pandemic loneliness". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ Feng, Rhoda (2022-02-18). "Review: 'Woman Running in the Mountains,' by Yūko Tsushima". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ Green, Laurence. "Woman Running in the Mountains". The Japan Society. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ Fincher, Alison (2022-03-27). ""Woman Running in the Mountains" by Yūko Tsushima". Retrieved 2024-11-09.