Transparent Labyrinth (Keshiki): 8

Keiichiro Hirano

ISBN 10: 1911343084 ISBN 13: 9781911343080

Publisher: Strangers Press, 2017

Synopsis

KESHIKI is a series of exquisitely designed chapbooks, showcasing the work of eight of the most exciting writers working in Japan today.

Okada is on a business trip to Budapest when he meets enigmatic Misa and her Italian girlfriend, Federica. Inexplicably drawn to Misa, he agrees to accompany the couple to a lavish party in Pest. On arrival, Federica ominously disappears, and Misa and Okada find themselves locked in a penthouse room with ten other guests. They are promised that they will be freed at dawn, providing that they follow the commands given to them by five spectators...

A modern tale of memory, sexual tension and kink, Hirano's short story runs through the labyrinth it constructs, the narrative twisting, forking, hiding its secrets just around the corner.

Translated by Kerim Yazar

About this title

About the Author:

Keiichiro Hirano, born in Aichi Prefecture in 1975 and raised in Kita-Kyushu, made his debut in 1999 with his first novel, Nisshoku (L Eclipse), which was awarded the Akutagawa Prize. His other works include Funeral, Ripples the Dripping Clocks Make, Collapse, Dawn, The Only Form of Love, Fill in the Blanks and most recently The Invisible Labyrinth. His work has been translated into several languages.

Kerim Yasar is Assistant Professor of Japanese at The Ohio State University. A specialist in literary, film, and media history (Ph.D., Columbia University), he has translated numerous works, from contemporary Japanese novels to pre-modern poetry to subtitles for almost ninety Japanese films in the Criterion Collection, including classic works by directors such as Akira Kurosawa and Yasujir Ozu. He was formerly a postdoctoral fellow in the Society of Fellows at Princeton.

About this edition

• Publisher: Strangers Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1911343084
• ISBN 13: 9781911343080
• Binding: Pamphlet
• Number of pages: 48