Yuriko Miyamoto: 4 works in the original Japanese, with translation
Miyamoto Yuriko (née Chūjō; 13 February 1899 – 21 January 1951) was a Japanese novelist, short-story writer, social activist, and literary critic active during the Taishō and early Shōwa eras. She is best known for her autobiographical fiction, including Nobuko, Banshū heiya, and Fūchisō, and for her involvement in proletarian and women's liberation movements.
Works in the library
- 一太と母Yuriko Miyamoto · Intermediate
- 雨と子供Yuriko Miyamoto · Intermediate
- 赤い貨車Yuriko Miyamoto · Advanced
- 美しき月夜Yuriko Miyamoto · Intermediate
Cultural notes (selection)
Old-style geisha houses and teahouses had fine wooden lattices (格子 windows and doors) facing the street, so from outside one could only see the silhouettes of people inside. In the early morning, geisha buying things from street vendors who hawked their wares along the street was a common everyday scene in Tokyo's shitamachi at the time.
This is 縁側 (engawa), a wooden-floored veranda under the eaves of a traditional Japanese house, a transitional space connecting the interior rooms with the garden. There is no exact English equivalent. The author stands here watching the wind and rain through the glass, which fits the way of living associated with this space.
Refers to the period of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the subsequent civil war. Set in the Russian countryside shortly after the revolution, this story depicts construction projects such as railways and embankments being halted and abandoned amid the turmoil.
マージー (Maggie) is a nickname for マーガレット (Margaret), a common English given name. In the text the formal name and the nickname are used alternately, referring to the same person.