--- product_id: 6796647 title: "Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text" price: "€ 96.57" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/6796647-breaking-into-japanese-literature-seven-modern-classics-in-parallel-text store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text **Price:** € 96.57 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text - **How much does it cost?** € 96.57 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/6796647-breaking-into-japanese-literature-seven-modern-classics-in-parallel-text) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Reading great books in the original should be the culmination of language study, but reading Japanese literature unassisted is a daunting task that can defeat even the most able of students. Breaking into Japanese Literature is specially designed to help you bypass all the frustration and actually enjoy classics of Japanese literature. Breaking into Japanese Literature features seven graded stories covering a variety of genres: whether it's the spellbinding surrealism of Natsume Soseki's Ten Nights of Dreams , the humor of Akutagawa Ryunosuke's fable of temple life ("The Nose"), or the excitement of his historic thrillers ("In a Grove" and "Rashomon"), you are sure to find a story that appeals to you in this collection. The unique layout-with the original Japanese story in large print, an easy-to-follow English translation and a custom dictionary-was created for maximum clarity and ease of use. There's no need to spend time consulting reference books when everything you need to know is right there in front of your nose. To make Japanese literature fun, Breaking into Japanese Literature also has some unique extra features: mini-biographies to tell you about the authors' lives and works, individual story prefaces to alert you to related works of literature or film, and original illustrations to fire your imagination. Best of all, MP3 sound files of all the stories have been made available for FREE on the Internet. Breaking into Japanese Literature provides all the backup you need to break through to a new and undiscovered world-the world of great Japanese fiction. All the hard work has been taken care of so you can enjoy the pleasures of the mind. Why not take advantage? Learn o 50% of all common-use kanji covered o Kanji entry numbers given for follow-up study o Japanese + English translation + custom dictionary on the same page o Every single kanji word explained Listen o Free download of sound files from the Net Look o 7 original atmospheric illustrations Link o Original stories for Kurosawa's Rashomon and Dreams All the stories in this book are available on the Internet as MP3 sound files read by professional Japanese actors. For students who want to consolidate their understanding of kanji, the entry numbers for any of the 2,230 characters in The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary have been provided when those characters feature in Breaking into Japanese Literature . This makes cross-referencing a matter of seconds. Review: Interesting stories in an easy to read format. - The only bad thing that can be said about this book is that the translations on the right hand page make it almost too easy to cheat and just read things in English. However, if you have a little self discipline, you'll find that there's a lot here to love. The translations are not literal, and aim to maintain the feeling of the sentences in English. I found it fun to compare my translation to that of the author, and enjoyed those "aha!" moments when I realized "But that's not really what it's saying!". After reading this book it has become clearer than ever that a lot of things get lost/mutated in translation as a means to tailor things to English speaking audiences. As far as the definitions at the bottom go, it is interesting to note that same word is often defined in different ways based on usage. This is a nice touch as it shows the versatility of those words, that would be hard to grasp if we did not see them used multiple ways. And to close, I'll say that the story selections were interesting. The repetition of words and phrases in them made them an intelligent choice by Mr. Murray. Because you will see some of the same words often in the same story, you will naturally pick up on them just so you can avoid the annoyance of looking up their definition everytime you come across them. In summary, this book is a great introduction to Japanese fiction and I've enjoyed my time with it. If you're looking to make the jump into non-educational material, this is a great starting place. 皆さん、頑張りましてください！ Review: A Showcase of Japanese Culture in a Nutshell - This book is a very good source of learning the nuances of Japanese people during the time of the authors, which may still be possibly present even until now. Aside from the very helpful in-text kanji and hiragana phrases below the Japanese text, explanations regarding the stories' settings were also given, making the reader even more aware of the cultural background behind each story. This also gives a Japanese "feel" to the stories, adding to their authenticity to many readers. For example, in Souseki's Yume Juuya stories, different periods in ancient Japan were showed, complete with vivid descriptions of each setting. Each story takes the reader into another world, with supernatural, creepy, and bizarre elements added. My personal favorite is the Third Night, which explores reincarnations and realizations, complete with macabre details. Aside from the content, I also recommend this book to upper-beginners of the Japanese language. The book style is not only welcoming to intermediate and advanced Japanese language learners, but to beginners as well, provided that one has knowledge of kana as well as at least grade 1 kanji. This book is a way for beginners to appreciate the basic kanji and words that were learned, either in class or by oneself. It is also a good reading set to test reading comprehension skills, as well as listening skills when the audio files are used in tandem. I gave this book a high-overall rating and a good recommendation not just for its content but also on how it was made. It is a very good book for one to become introduced to Japanese culture and literature, as well as a useful tool in learning the Japanese language. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #3,142,880 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #7,200 in Foreign Language Instruction (Books) #46,784 in Short Stories & Anthologies | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 106 Reviews | ## Images ![Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Yh8Y01yyL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting stories in an easy to read format. *by C***R on July 4, 2013* The only bad thing that can be said about this book is that the translations on the right hand page make it almost too easy to cheat and just read things in English. However, if you have a little self discipline, you'll find that there's a lot here to love. The translations are not literal, and aim to maintain the feeling of the sentences in English. I found it fun to compare my translation to that of the author, and enjoyed those "aha!" moments when I realized "But that's not really what it's saying!". After reading this book it has become clearer than ever that a lot of things get lost/mutated in translation as a means to tailor things to English speaking audiences. As far as the definitions at the bottom go, it is interesting to note that same word is often defined in different ways based on usage. This is a nice touch as it shows the versatility of those words, that would be hard to grasp if we did not see them used multiple ways. And to close, I'll say that the story selections were interesting. The repetition of words and phrases in them made them an intelligent choice by Mr. Murray. Because you will see some of the same words often in the same story, you will naturally pick up on them just so you can avoid the annoyance of looking up their definition everytime you come across them. In summary, this book is a great introduction to Japanese fiction and I've enjoyed my time with it. If you're looking to make the jump into non-educational material, this is a great starting place. 皆さん、頑張りましてください！ ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Showcase of Japanese Culture in a Nutshell *by M***N on September 22, 2012* This book is a very good source of learning the nuances of Japanese people during the time of the authors, which may still be possibly present even until now. Aside from the very helpful in-text kanji and hiragana phrases below the Japanese text, explanations regarding the stories' settings were also given, making the reader even more aware of the cultural background behind each story. This also gives a Japanese "feel" to the stories, adding to their authenticity to many readers. For example, in Souseki's Yume Juuya stories, different periods in ancient Japan were showed, complete with vivid descriptions of each setting. Each story takes the reader into another world, with supernatural, creepy, and bizarre elements added. My personal favorite is the Third Night, which explores reincarnations and realizations, complete with macabre details. Aside from the content, I also recommend this book to upper-beginners of the Japanese language. The book style is not only welcoming to intermediate and advanced Japanese language learners, but to beginners as well, provided that one has knowledge of kana as well as at least grade 1 kanji. This book is a way for beginners to appreciate the basic kanji and words that were learned, either in class or by oneself. It is also a good reading set to test reading comprehension skills, as well as listening skills when the audio files are used in tandem. I gave this book a high-overall rating and a good recommendation not just for its content but also on how it was made. It is a very good book for one to become introduced to Japanese culture and literature, as well as a useful tool in learning the Japanese language. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Useful Study Aid for Intermediate Students, But Not Without Flaws *by O***R on January 5, 2010* This book offers seven short pieces of Japanese literature, along with more or less parallel English translations. Each and every kanji has a translation, so you do not have to worry about that. This is a good learning tool for intermediate students, say at the level of two years of college Japanese. I have two problems with this book. First, the stories are all a bit gruesome and negative. I did not enjoy any of them. Maybe your taste is different, but be forewarned. Second, and more substantively, the translation is not as close as I would have liked. Sure, it is accurate, and it reads just fine in English. Indeed, a verbatim translation would not be as pretty. But, for a student, it is more helpful to have a verbatim translation than one that is written stylishly in English. After all, the English is only there to be informative. The point is to learn Japanese. Here's an alternative that I like much better and is suitable for students of the same level: buy a copy of the first Harry Potter book in Japanese, and another copy in English. Both are available from Amazon.com. The translation is excellent and more nearly verbatim than I would have thought possible. All but the most basic kanji have furigana. (If you do not know what I am talking about, or if you do not know about 100 kanji, then chances are that both of these books are going to be very frustrating for you.) Sure, you are not reading "Japanese literature," but you are reading a book that millions of Japanese have read and which is written for a real Japanese audience. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/6796647-breaking-into-japanese-literature-seven-modern-classics-in-parallel-text](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/6796647-breaking-into-japanese-literature-seven-modern-classics-in-parallel-text) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-07-31*