In Japanese Literature: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2023), Alan Tansman (East Asian Languages & Cultures) traces the rich history of Japanese literature, which encompasses a vast range of forms and genres stretching back nearly 1500 years.

While intensely attentive to its own tradition, Japanese literature has also imbibed influences from around the globe — early on from China, and later from Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Japanese literature has been embraced by the outside world in turn, exporting literary genres such as the haiku, and bestselling authors such as Yukio Mishima and Haruki Murakami.

He is joined by Dorothy Hale (English Department).