Song of the Sheep
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in the intellectual and cultural history of modern and contemporary Japan
- Readers who appreciate quiet, introspective, philosophically rich prose
- Readers who wish to understand how intellectuals conduct and think of themselves in turbulent times
- Readers who enjoy glimpsing the larger currents of an era through personal history
Not a good fit for
- Readers of fiction seeking tight plotting and strong storytelling
- Readers wholly unfamiliar with Japanese society and culture and uninterested in learning about it
Reading tips
- Read it as historical prose rather than as a story, and focus on the rhythm and atmosphere of the author's narration.
- Supplement it with background material on Japan's Showa era for a deeper understanding.
- The book touches on many cultural figures and events; there is no need to grasp them all at once, and it rewards repeated reading.
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 中文版推荐序（一） 一个智识上的游荡者
- 中文版推荐序（二）
- 羊之歌
- 外祖父的家
- 泥土的香味
- 涩谷金王町
- 多病之身
- 樱花胡同
- 优等生
- 空白五年
- 美竹町的家
- 叛逆的兆头
- “二二六”事件
- 驹场
- 讽刺画
- 高原牧歌
- 缩影
- 回忆美好往事
- 那是一个晴天
- 法文研究室
- 青春
- 内科教室
- 八月十五日
- 续 羊之歌
- 信条
- 广岛
- 一九四六年
- 京都的庭园
- 第二次出发
- 诗人的家
- 法国南部
- 中世纪
- 故国飞鸿
- 两个女人
- 冬之旅
- 音乐
- 海峡对岸
- 伪善
- 别离
- 外部所见的日本
- 格物致知
- 亚非作家会议
- 永别
- 审议未了
- 《羊之歌》后记
- 译后记
- 《羊之歌》中译本再版后记
FAQ
How does this book differ from a conventional autobiography?
Does reading it require extensive knowledge of Japanese history?
What does the "sheep" in the title signify?
Comments
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About the author
Kato Shuichi was a Japanese author known for documentary literature and cultural criticism, whose works have been introduced to Chinese readers to some extent. Publicly available information is limited, and his dates of birth and death, nationality, and full career cannot be confirmed with certainty; nevertheless, the two works listed here roughly outline the direction of his writing. Song of the Sheep follows personal and family experience in an autobiographical, documentary mode, with a restrained and introspective touch, while Hybrid Culture discusses, from a comparative perspective, how different traditions meet, mix, and renew themselves, in clear thought and plain language. One leans toward emotional narrative, the other toward rational analysis, and together they show the author's concern with the link between individual experience and cultural structure, and his skill at drawing universal questions from everyday detail. For Chinese readers, his writing offers a path toward understanding the cultural mentality of modern and contemporary Japan.
Weng Jiahui is an author about whom limited public information is available. Two works can currently be confirmed: Song of the Sheep and Hybrid Culture, with common categories spanning documentary literature and culture. Judging from these works, her writing combines documentary and cultural concerns: on the one hand, she presents specific people and events in a documentary manner; on the other, she engages in observation and discussion at the cultural level. Though different in subject matter, Song of the Sheep and Hybrid Culture both show the author's attention to real-life experience and cultural issues. Since no reliable records are available regarding nationality, dates of birth and death, education, or awards, this introduction makes no speculation and outlines her writing only on the basis of the works recorded in the database. For readers, Weng Jiahui's works can serve as an entry point for understanding documentary literature and cultural writing, while further background and creative experience await supplementation by public sources.
