Lipstick and Eraser
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Summary
Editor's review
Watanabe's touch is cool and sharp. He has little interest in staging violent dramatic conflict; like an experienced surgeon, he precisely incises the skin of everyday life to expose the lesions and bruises of feeling beneath. In "Lipstick" he renders with penetrating accuracy the complex mindset of women seeking self-recognition inside and outside marriage; "Eraser" explores the plasticity of memory and the deceptiveness of emotion. These stories have no grand narrative backdrop, yet ring especially true and powerful because of their faithful record of the dark corners of the heart.
As an editor, I believe the book's value lies in the "emotional microscope" experience it offers. It will not suit readers chasing fast-paced plot, but will leave persistent echoes of thought for those who wish to probe the depths of human nature and the essence of relations between the sexes. Watanabe forgoes moral judgment and simply presents; this restrained narration instead gives the stories greater tension and wider room for interpretation. The Qingdao Publishing House edition reads smoothly and preserves well the original's cold, delicate style.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in Watanabe Junichi's literary world and Japanese social fiction of emotion
- Those who enjoy cool analysis of human nature and the psychology of the sexes and seek a deeper reading experience
- Literature lovers, especially those who appreciate compressed short stories and symbolic technique
- Thinkers who hope to observe the complexity of modern urban relationships through fiction
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment and fast, plot-driven stories
- Readers impatient with emotional subjects or psychological description
Reading tips
- Read the four stories in order to see how the author approaches the same theme from different sides
- Note the symbolic meaning of everyday objects such as "lipstick" and "eraser" in the text and how it shifts
- After reading, consider: to what extent are the characters' choices a true expression of self, and to what extent a performance of social roles?
About the publisher
Founded in 1987, Qingdao Publishing House has long focused on education, science and technology, children's books, and lifestyle titles, while steadily publishing classical and foreign literature. Its 827 titles in the catalog reflect a balance between making classics widely accessible and serving young readers. They include the four great classics of Chinese literature—Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Dream of the Red Chamber, and Journey to the West—as well as foreign literary translations such as Sei Shōnagon's The Pillow Book, works associated with Zhou Zuoren, and Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. The press also offers a color-illustrated series of recommended classics for primary and secondary school Chinese curriculum reading, using pictures and text to support student readers. Its common categories cover classical literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, folk literature, and foreign literature, with authors including Luo Guanzhong, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Gao E, Wu Cheng'en, Sei Shōnagon, Zhou Zuoren, and Victor Hugo. Public information is limited, so this profile emphasizes the publishing directions shown by the catalog.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 译者前言
- 为何要鱼脊朝上呢？
- 随行的“螳螂夫人”
- 念经服务
- 消极主义
- 在牙科所的思考
- 鞠躬，再鞠躬
- 鸱鸺与蝌蚪
- 中年人的爱情观
- 公园旅馆的回忆
- 被压埋的手稿
- 凭什么叫新春呢？
- 妈妈患病之后
- 花样滑冰本应属于女人
- 辛德勒这个人
- 友人之死
- 未能成真的名酒“一片雪”
- 外行论经济
- 胜利了，然后呢？
- 不一样的“阿部定事件”
- 碎尸案与厨余垃圾
- 各花有各期
- 明暗之间的京都樱花
- 京都访源氏
- 作为“新手”的基因疗法
- 母亲之死
- 母亲死后
- 因果的循环
- 不写红宝石，而写绿宝石
- “现代”酒馆
- 募捐演唱会随想
- 体验的传承
- 抓住九月的机会
- 橡胶的触感
- 为何最怕法国餐呢？
- 口红与橡皮
- 空空如也的风景
- 北方的波斯菊
- 疑问的肯定
- 偶尔也要“装傻充愣”
- 便宜餐馆之所见
- 对“富裕指数”的疑问
- 开店涌入的客人
- 秋色各异
- 无人接听的电话
- 后记
FAQ
Is this book similar in style to Watanabe Junichi's more famous Lost Paradise?
Is this book suitable for young readers?
From what period of Watanabe Junichi's career does this work date?
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About the author
Junichi Watanabe (1933–2014) was a contemporary Japanese novelist. Born in Hokkaido and holding a medical doctorate from Sapporo Medical University, he worked as an orthopedic surgeon before turning to writing. In 1970 he won the Naoki Prize for The Shadow of Light. His work spans social fiction, essays and inspirational writing, and the library holds 61 of his titles, including Lost Paradise, Shadowless Lamp, The Lover, Pain Begins When Love Begins, Aging Gracefully, Paradise of Desire, Winter Fireworks and Love Letter. Trained in medicine, he observed love, marriage and aging with a cool, precise eye, writing candidly about desire and human predicament; he is regarded as a master of modern Japanese romantic literature, while his later essays reflect plainly and warmly on life experience and old age.
Shi Weiguo, a native of Weifang, Shandong, is a literary translator and scholar of language and culture. He earned a Doctor of Literature from Tokyo Metropolitan University and a doctorate in language and culture from Daito Bunka University, has lived in Japan for more than thirty years, and formerly taught at Aichi University of Education, a national university in Japan. He has long been engaged in translating Japanese literature, with renderings of Masaki Tarihara's Remaining Snow and Blood and Sand and Junichi Watanabe's Betrayal, among others. In 2017 he received a special translation award from the Japan Translators Association, the first Chinese translator to be so honored. His seven works in the library include Pain Begins When We Love, Rumors, Snow Falls on Tokyo, The Reason for Breaking Up, the Fengyun series When Cherry Blossoms Bloom, and Lipstick and Eraser, mostly classified as foreign literature and prose, dealing with emotion, urban life, and human entanglement, with translations that strive to preserve the original tone and detail.
