Where The Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda
Witty, inventive, and profound, Where the Wild Ladies Are is a contemporary feminist retelling of traditional ghost stories by one of Japan’s most exciting writers. In a company run by the mysterious Mr Tei, strange things are afoot – incense sticks lead to a surprise encounter; a young man reflects on his mother’s death; a foxlike woman finally finds her true calling. As female ghosts appear in unexpected guises, their gently humorous encounters with unsuspecting humans lead to deeper questions about emancipation and recent changes in Japanese women’s lives.“This was an amazing readA troupe of women are sent in from another world in order to help relieve the angst of the people in this world.” Hiroko Kitamura, Hon no zasshi sha
“Turning one’s back on despair and instead channelling all one’s energy into living as one’s true self is what gives one the strength to take on spectral form. This is a call to power to live with sufficient conviction to become ghosts.” Akiko Ohtake, Asahi shimbun
“An enjoyable and satisfying read, coming out of a sense of discomfort and unease around gender inequality. This is a short story collection where classic works from rakugo and kabuki are developed in the author’s unique style.” Asayo Takii, Nami
Matsuda Aoko is the author of four collections of short stories and four essay collections. Her debut, Stackable, was nominated for Mishima Yukio Prize in 2013. Her stories have appeared in Granta, Guernica and Monkey Business, and her novella The Girl Who Is Getting Married (tr Angus Turvill) was published by Strangers Press in 2016. Her short story The Woman Dies (tr Polly Barton) was nominated for Shirley Jackson Award in 2019. Matsuda is based in Tokyo.
Polly Barton is a translator of Japanese literature and non-fiction, currently based in Bristol. She has translated short stories for Words Without Borders, The White Review and GRANTA. Her translations include Friendship for Grown-ups by Naocola Yamazaki and Mikumari by Misumi Kubo (Strangers Press), and Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki (Pushkin Press). She is the winner of the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize for Fifty Sounds.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781911284383 |
| ISBN 10 | 191128438X |
| Title | Where The Wild Ladies Are |
| Author | Aoko Matsuda |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Tilted Axis Press |
| Year published | 2020-02-13 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction 2021 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |