Be prepared to rethink the nature of modern Japanese literature; or better still, simply read these often wondrous tales, some tall, some short, one after the other, and enjoy a remarkable, liberating moment in Japanese literary history. - J. Thomas Rimer, professor emeritus of Japanese literature, University of Pittsburgh ""This is a tour de force that gives readers a full and vivid picture of Japanese literature and its cultural milieu between 1913 and 1938, with smoothly rendered translations of influential works and a thought-provoking critique of how trends and movements during this period have been 'constructed' and 'reinvented' ever since. The book will also serve as an important reference for those studying twentieth-century Japanese literature."" - Steve Rabson, professor emeritus of Japanese, Brown University