Asian studies in Lithuania
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The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Authors: Murakami, Haruki
Translated by: Nauronaitė, Jūratė
Translated from: English
Published on: 2009

‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle‘ is one the the most ambitious works of Harumi Murakami. This novel ir about Toru Okada – a man who is constantly obeying other people wishes, passive, often apathetic. After quiting job he starts enjoying small pleasures – cooking, reading books, listening to jazz but this idyll doesn‘t last long. Toru‘s wife Kumiko asks to find their lost cat. She suggests going to an alley and look for it near an abandoned house at the end of the street. Even though he didn‘t find a cat name Noboru Wataya, Toru finds an empty well at the abandoned house. He keeps coming back to the well to think and to forget the world about him. After cat hasn‘t been found Kumiko asks her brother – the real Noboru Wataya – for help. He sends sisters Creta and Malta Kano who have to help finding the lost cat and help figuring other problems out which are yet to come. More

Nurtured by Love

Authors: Shinichi, Suzuki
Translated by: Lipavičienė, Miglė
Translated from: English
Published on: 2009

\”What is man\’s ultimate direction in life? It is to look for love, truth, virtue, and beauty\”. “Nurtured by love” is Shinichi Suzuki’s autobiography. Musician, philosopher and educator’s essential teachings and Talent Education philosophy are laid out in this book. The writer tells various stories, which happened during the course of teaching children to play the violin: their first encounter with this instrument, teaching techniques, teacher, parents and children’s relationships.
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Rice in Nephrite Cups

Authors: Chao-Hsiu Chen
Translated by: Macevičius, Jupzas
Translated from: German
Published on: 2009

“Rice in nephrite cups” is a book full of author’s memories, a little autobiography in which memories mixes up with the culture, history and traditions of China. This book does not have a coherent story, it consists of many short stories, trainings, philosophies, exercises in self improvement and even few meals recipes. In this spiritual book where one can find a lot of great ideas and quotes also it is possible to get to know more about spiritual and philosophical things such as More

Mylimoji Sputnik (Sputnik Sweetheart)

Authors: Murakami, Haruki
Translated by: Susnytė, Ieva

The novel’s protagonist, Sumire, is an aspiring writer who survives on a family stipend and the creative input of her only friend, the novel’s male narrator, ‘K’. ‘K’ is an elementary school teacher, 25 years old, and in love with Sumire, though she does not quite share his feelings. At a wedding, Sumire meets an Ethnic Korean woman, Miu. The two strike up a conversation and Sumire starts to work for the older, married woman. Over time, she realises that she is attracted to her, and thus, that she might be a homosexual. More

Snow Country

Authors: Kawabata, Yasunari
Translated by: Baronina, Indrė
Translated from: Japanese
Published on: 2008

“Snow Country” is a novel which resembles a sumi-e painting, in which the author uses language as subtle as brushstrokes to create the scenery of northern Japanese province and relationships between characters. This novel – which took the author more than a decade to finish – is a delicate portrayal of human emotion and relationships. The main character Shimamura, a married man from Tokyo, goes on vacation to a snowy hot spring town in the northern Japan, seeking peace and calm. However, instead of relaxation the wealthy man finds himself slipping into a rather difficult situation, involving two women. In the little town Shimamura meets the sensuous geisha Komako, whose liveliness excites him, making the man want to come back to the same village more often. With every one of Shimamura’s visits his interest for Komako intensifies. More

Peony in Love

Authors: See, Lisa
Translated by: Banelytė, Antanina
Translated from: English
Published on: 2008

”Peony in Love” is set in 17th-century China around the delta of the Yangzi river. „Peony in Love“ emphasizes the difficulty 19th- and 17th-century Chinese women had in achieving freedom and identity in a society that was both male dominated and rigid in its gender expectations. This novel is abundant in historical facts, as well as old Chinese customs ir traditions. Author introduces the readers to Chinese foot binding custom, wedding traditions, burial ceremonies and impact, that the belief in afterlife has on Chinese culture. The writer also presents an evaluation of the upheaval of the 17th-century, when the Manchus overthrew the Qing Dynasty. She tells a story of turmoil in the country and the heroic self-sacrifice of women in the fight against the Manchus, as well as women\’s creative prosperity. More

Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster’s Daughter

Authors: Tendo, Shoko
Translated by: Jėrinaitė, Jurgita
Translated from: English
Published on: 2008

Intriguing and engaging from the first pages, an autobiographical book is telling a story about Yakuza boss daughter’s life. It is the author’s debut work, which is quite straightforward story about the plight and unimaginative life of a teenage girl. Tattooed from head to toe, just twenty years old girl speaks about her life that was like a personal hell. At the age of twelve, book author Shoko got acquainted with poverty, sexual violence and drug slavery. She suffered horrendous psychological challenges, tried to commit suicide and survived the loss of people that were close to her. More

The Last Empress

Authors: Min, Anchee
Translated by: Antanina Banelytė
Translated from: English
Published on: 2008

“The Last Empress” – is a sequel  of real historical facts based novel „Empress Orchid“, which tells a story about very controversial person in Chinese history, strong and ambitious emperor who ruled China in the last decades of Qing Dynasty. Empress Tzu Hsi – already grown up woman and ruler, referred as  a „mistress of evil and intrigue“, but at the same time a gifted diplomat , trying her best to save Chinese empire, sensitive mother, wise and loving woman.

Empress Orchid, who survived Opium Wars and lost her husband, the Emperor, starts ruling China together with other regent Empress Nuharu.  Her long and troubled ruling lasted until the end of the next century. Throughout her all life makes effort to preserve the empire, as well as she aims to raise her own son, who was entrusted with the Empress Nuharu. More

Silence

Authors: Endo, Shusaku
Translated by: Neverauskytė-Brundzienė, Rima
Translated from: English
Published on: 2008

The book brought us into the seventeenth century Japan, in which Christianity is prohibited, and small Christian communities persecution peaked its apogee. In this country secretly arrives two Portuguese priests, including the main novel protagonist – Sebastian Rodriguez. Their mission is to identify and teach Christians in hiding, and most important thing to find out the truth about one of the missing missionary, their mentor, who according to rumors committed apostasy. Also on this journey Rodriguez will have to answer  the question which haunts him: “Why is God silent?”

This novel presents Japanese government and society that was at the time, as well as their views on Buddhism and Christianity, and the two religions in conflict. The book vividly describes the Christian spiritual and physical suffering and torture. However, nothing came close to the suffering experienced by the main character of the novel. This spiritual suffering experienced by Rodriguez, as well as God’s silence and passivity, leads him to a crisis of faith, which repeatedly makes one think of the apostasy. More

Į pietus nuo sienos, į vakarus nuo saulės (South of the Border, West of the Sun)

Authors: Murakami, Haruki
Translated by: Susnytė, Ieva

Growing up in the suburbs of post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. Together they spent long afternoons listening to her father’s record collection. But when his family moved away, the two lost touch. Now Hajime is in his thirties. After a decade of drifting he has found happiness with his loving wife and two daughters, and success running a jazz bar. Then Shimamoto reappears. She is beautiful, intense, enveloped in mystery. Hajime is catapulted into the past, putting at risk all he has in the present.

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Initiators of the project: Japan foundation VDU
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