Dazzlingly original, Kobo Abe's The Woman in the Dunes is one of the premier Japanese novels in the twentieth century, and this Penguin Classics edition contains a new introduction by David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas.
Niki Jumpei, an amateur entomologist, searches the scorching desert for beetles. As night falls he is forced to seek shelter in an eerie village, half-buried by huge sand dunes. He awakes to the terrifying realisation that the villagers have imprisoned him with a young woman at the bottom of a vast sand pit. Tricked into slavery and threatened with starvation if he does not work, Jumpei's only chance is to shovel the ever-encroaching sand - or face an agonising death. Among the greatest Japanese novels of the twentieth century, The Woman in the Dunes combines the essence of myth, suspense, and the existential novel.
Kobo Abe (1924-93) was born in Tokyo, grew up in Manchuria, and returned to Japan in his early twenties. During his life Abe was considered his country's foremost living novelist. His novels have earned many literary awards and prizes, and have all been bestsellers in Japan. They include The Woman in the Dunes, The Ark Sakura, The Face of Another, The Box Man, and The Ruined Map.
If you liked The Woman in the Dunes, you might enjoy Albert Camus' The Plague, also available in Penguin Classics.
'A haunting Kafkaesque nightmare'
Time
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 2.11
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 4230751-n
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. New to Penguin Modern ClassicsOne of the premier Japanese novels in the twentieth century, THE WOMAN IN THE DUNES combines the essence of myth, suspense, and the existential novel. In a remote seaside village, Niki Jumpei, a teacher and amateur entomologist, is held captive with a young woman at the bottom of a vast sand pit where they are pressed into shovelling off the ever-advancing sand dunes that threaten the village. Niki Jumpei, an amateur entomologist, searches the scorching desert for beetles. As night falls he is forced to seek shelter in an eerie village, half-buried by huge sand dunes. He awakes to the terrifying realization that the villagers have imprisoned him with a young woman at the bottom of a vast sand pit. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780141188522
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 7169700
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780141188522
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780141188522-GDR
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Seller Inventory # B9780141188522
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 256 pages. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0141188529
Book Description Condition: New. 2007. Paperback. Niki Jumpei, an amateur entomologist, searches the scorching desert for beetles. As night falls he is forced to seek shelter in an eerie village, half-buried by huge sand dunes. He awakes to the terrifying realization that the villagers have imprisoned him with a young woman at the bottom of a vast sand pit. Series: Penguin Modern Classics. Num Pages: 256 pages. BIC Classification: FA; FYT. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 201 x 127 x 16. Weight in Grams: 192. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780141188522
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. This item is printed on demand. New copy - Usually dispatched within 5-9 working days. Seller Inventory # C9780141188522
Book Description Condition: New. 2007. Paperback. Niki Jumpei, an amateur entomologist, searches the scorching desert for beetles. As night falls he is forced to seek shelter in an eerie village, half-buried by huge sand dunes. He awakes to the terrifying realization that the villagers have imprisoned him with a young woman at the bottom of a vast sand pit. Series: Penguin Modern Classics. Num Pages: 256 pages. BIC Classification: FA; FYT. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 201 x 127 x 16. Weight in Grams: 192. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780141188522