English

Written by noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu, this novel portrays the aristocracy in Japan during the eleventh century, the height of the Heian period. 

The text is readable and interesting, with romance and court intrigue. 

This classic text provides context for a key historical period that is often referred back to in modern and contemporary Japanese writing and film. 

A shorter work by perhaps the most prominent writer of the 20th century in Japan, this book is engaging and quick-moving, presenting a memorable, nuanced portrait of a young man who moves to a rural area to teach math at a "middle school." It presents an interesting and often critical view of the changes happening in Japan during the Taisho period of rapid liberalization and engagement with European cultures.

The first two stories in this collections served as inspiration for Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film. Akutagawa is considered one of the most significant writers of the Taisho period 1912-26, particularly for his short fiction. This collection includes some of his most famous stories, as well as some stories that had not previously been translated into English.

Many of these stories are famously technically adept, and many of them are also quite dark.

Hiroko Oyamada has written a number of novellas that have been translated to English. This story takes surprising and unsettling turns, drawing in central contemporary themes of family life, population decline, and the isolation of modern life. 

This text will be incorporated into the 12th grade special-topics course, Literature and Nature,

The first of a best-selling series of books, this is an engaging and approachable text that could be good for upper and middle school readers. The text engages with themes of grief, loss, and enduring relationships and connections.

This text could be a good choice for a student book group or free-choice read.