Tag Archive for: Japanese literature

IJA Japanese Book Club event featuring Irish writer and poet Nell Regan | PHOTO GALLERY

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The IJA Japanese Book Club event featuring Irish writer and poet Nell Regan was held on Saturday, 21st September and was hosted by ElectroRoute, an IJA corporate member, in Dublin city center.

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The event provided a special opportunity for book club members and Japanese poetry enthusiasts to meet Nell Regan in person and learn about the book ‘百人一首 – 100 Poems by 100 Poets’, as well as her work translating it into English with James Hadley. Nell’s presentation was captivating, allowing us to delve into the richness of Japanese literature and appreciate her remarkable talent for poetry.

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We extend our gratitude to Ambassador Maruyama for joining the event and reading some of the original poems from the book in Japanese.

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Attendees also had the chance to engage in a traditional Japanese card game and savor delicious, freshly baked Japanese treats provided by Gopan Bakery.

Special thanks to Tsugumi Yamamoto, IJA Vice Chairperson, for coordinating this event, and to our wonderful hosts at ElectroRoute for their excellent hospitality throughout the event.

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IJA launches Japanese Book Club | Join today!

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We are delighted to announce the launch of the IJA Japanese Book Club! Our purpose is to create a vibrant community of book lovers who share a passion for Japanese literature, culture, philosophy, business, history, and more.
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We are dedicated to exploring a diverse range of books each month, engaging in thoughtful discussions, expanding our knowledge, and fostering friendships among members. What’s more, we won’t limit ourselves to just Japanese authors; we’ll also delve into the works of Irish authors with connections to Japan.
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With our official launch scheduled for September, we have conducted two trial runs with a small group of participants during the summer break. It was truly fascinating to see how different perspectives and insights emerge, even when reading the same book. We believe that sharing our reading experiences with others can deepen our understanding and appreciation of literature.
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Wouldn’t you like to be a part of this exciting literary journey with us? Whether you’re a seasoned reader or just starting to explore the world of books, our book club welcomes everyone. Together, we’ll embark on a fascinating exploration of Japanese literature and beyond.
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HOW TO REGISTER
Please let us know if you are interested in joining our book club and send us an email to: info@ija.ie. We look forward to having you as a fellow book enthusiast and a valued member of our growing community. Open to the IJA members only.
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More details about the first club meeting and book of the month:
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Off The Page: Kazuo Ishiguro in conversation

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International Literature Festival Dublin is delighted to welcome Nobel Prize winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro for an online talk to mark the publication of Klara and the Sun, his first novel since receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017.

Date: Friday, 12th March 2021
Time: 7.30 PM

Note: Tickets are priced at €25* which includes a ticket to the event and a signed hardback copy of Klara and the Sun.  If you wish to only buy a ticket for €8, please input the coupon code KLARA before purchasing your ticket. You will find this under “click to book ticket” on the top right of your screen. *Free postage within Ireland.

Klara and the Sun tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watching the humans in the store where she’s based and those on the street outside. Remaining hopeful a customer will one day choose her, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.

Ishiguro’s work, which includes the Booker-winning The Remains of the Day and the dystopian novel Never Let Me Go, has been translated into over fifty languages. Klara and the Sun highlights his uncanny ability to speak to the here and now, from an imaginative perspective that is all his own. Join this event to hear this exceptional writer in conversation with Sinéad Gleeson, author of Constellations, and to put your questions to him during the event.

Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-British novelist, screenwriter and short-story writer. He was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. His eight previous works of fiction have earned him many honors around the world, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize. In 2017, the Swedish Academy awarded Ishiguro the Nobel Prize in Literature, describing him in its citation as a writer “who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world”. His work has been translated into over fifty languages, and The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, both made into acclaimed films, have each sold more than 2 million copies. He was given a knighthood in 2018 for Services to Literature. He also holds the decorations of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from Japan.

Event is presented by International Literature Festival Dublin in association with Faber and Faber and Eason as retail partner.

ILFDublin Writer In Residence Tomoka Shibasaki with Polly Barton

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Ireland’s premier literary event – International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFDublin) – is taking place from 17th – 26th May, gathering the finest writers in the world to debate, provoke, delight and enthral.

This year’s festival has an amazing line-up with the very best of Irish and international talent for you to meet at the readings, discussions, debates, workshops, performances and screenings across various venues.

Among other amazing events, we would like to highlight event and discussion with Tomoka Shibasaki  – Japanese writer in residence at ILFDublin 2019. From Osaka, Tomoka Shibasaki has won the Noma Literary New Face Prize and the Akutagawa Prize for ‘Spring Garden’, her first novel translated into English, which tells the story of Taro, a reclusive divorcee who is drawn into a strange relationship with the woman upstairs. The New York Times Book Review described ‘Spring Garden’ as, ‘Like a good meditation: quiet, surprising and deeply satisfying.’ Two of her works have been adapted for film.

Date: Thursday, 23 May 2019
Time: 6.15 p.m.
Venue: Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin
Tickets: €8 – €10, available online here: https://ilfdublin.ticketsolve.com/shows/873602946

Tomoka Shibasaki will be in conversation with her translator, Polly Barton, recently shortlisted for the Fitzcarraldo Editions essay  prize for ‘Fifty Sounds’, a record of linguistic and cultural assimilation in Japan, where she lived for seven years and became a literary translator. She was the recipient of the 2016 Kyoko Selden International Translation Prize.

Together they discuss their work and map out the territory of contemporary Japanese literature. Chaired by Martin Colthorpe, Programme Director, ILFDublin.

Presented with the support of the EU Japan Fest Japan Committee.

Full list of ILFDublin 2019 events are available here!

 

Tag Archive for: Japanese literature

IJA Japanese Book Club

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We are delighted to announce the launch of the IJA Japanese Book Club! Our purpose is to create a vibrant community of book lovers who share a passion for Japanese literature, culture, philosophy, business, history, and more.
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We are dedicated to exploring a diverse range of books each month, engaging in thoughtful discussions, expanding our knowledge, and fostering friendships among members. What’s more, we won’t limit ourselves to just Japanese authors; we’ll also delve into the works of Irish authors with connections to Japan.
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With our official launch scheduled for September, we have conducted two trial runs with a small group of participants during the summer break. It was truly fascinating to see how different perspectives and insights emerge, even when reading the same book. We believe that sharing our reading experiences with others can deepen our understanding and appreciation of literature.
.
Wouldn’t you like to be a part of this exciting literary journey with us? Whether you’re a seasoned reader or just starting to explore the world of books, our book club welcomes everyone. Together, we’ll embark on a fascinating exploration of Japanese literature and beyond.
.
HOW TO REGISTER
Please let us know if you are interested in joining our book club and send us an email to: info@ija.ie. We look forward to having you as a fellow book enthusiast and a valued member of our growing community. Open to the IJA members only.
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Meetings take place once every quarter and the date, time and Zoom link is shared with registered club members via email. The meetings are conducted in English, and all selected books can be read in either Japanese or English.
JUNE 2026
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We are delighted to announce that the next meeting of the IJA Japanese Book Club will take place in person on Saturday, 13th June, and we warmly invite you to join us.
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June In-Person Meeting
Date: Saturday, 13th June
Time: 12 – 1.30 PM
Venue: TBC (Dublin city centre) – details will be shared with all Book Club members closer to the event time.
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For this June session, there will be no assigned book. Instead, we will enjoy a relaxed and informal discussion where everyone is welcome to bring along a book they have enjoyed (or are currently reading) and share it with the group. It will be a lovely opportunity to exchange recommendations, discover new authors, and meet fellow members in person.
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JULY 2026
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The last IJA Japanese Book Club meeting before the summer break will take place on Thursday, 16th July, and we warmly invite you to join us online.
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July Meeting – Online
Date: Thursday, 16th July
Time: 8 – 9 PM
Format: Online via Zoom – Zoom link will be shared with all club members closer to the date via email.
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For the July meeting, we will have two assigned books. You are very welcome to read at least one of them before joining the discussion:
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* The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura
* The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki (this is the first book in the series, first published in 2020)

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Following the July meeting, we will take a well-deserved summer break, and our next online Book Club session will take place in October, with another meeting planned for January 2027.

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