© Columbia University Press
Grass For My Pillow
August, 2002
Cloth, 320 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-12658-8
$32.50
/ £22.50
"Understated yet powerfully effective. . . . Maryua's restrained prose mirrors the constriction of Hamada's thoughts and experience, while his amazing attention to detail renders an unquestionably real world for the narrative to exist within." — Christine Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle
"Many artists have either idealized pre-surrender Japan as a golden age untainted by Westernization or criticized the blind acceptance of military objectives, but Maruya refuses to gloss over the former or treat the latter as more enlightened." — Village Voice
"Virtuosic. . . a cornucopia of delights. . . Keene’s translation dexterously reflects Maruya’s linguistic exuberance." — The New Yorker
"A masterly realistic novel, and one of the best out of the Far East in many years." — Kirkus
"This thoughtful book gives a wonderful insight into Japanese life, both the greater cultural beliefs that shape the society as a whole and the minutiae that preoccupy each individual. Entertaining, informative and compassionate, this is a very worthwhile read. A tribute must also be paid to the translator." — Janet Mary Tomson, The Historical Novels Review
"[A] complete artistic success [in] its riddling marrative method . . . precise, mysterious, and moving." — Times Literary Supplement