“Tokyo is a city of layers—some visible, some hidden beneath the surface, but all pulsing with life.” Introduction The Book of Tokyo, edited by Masashi Matsuie, is a […]
German literature
Terror
“Must we follow the law even when it leads to injustice?” Chapter 1: The Trial Begins The novel opens in a German courtroom where Dr. Lars Koch, a […]
German literature
Go, Went, Gone
“The law is the law, but the law is also an ass.” Chapter 1: The Professor’s Isolation Richard, a recently retired classics professor in Berlin, finds himself adrift […]
Russian literature
Zuleikha
“A person is like a river—sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent.” Part 1: The Arrest The novel opens in 1930s Soviet Russia, introducing Zuleikha, a meek […]
French literature
The Seventh Function of Language
“Language is not innocent. It is a weapon.” Prologue The novel opens with the mysterious death of renowned literary theorist Roland Barthes in 1980, shortly after being struck […]
French literature
Submission
“The world had changed, and I hadn’t noticed.” Chapter 1: A Disillusioned Academic The novel opens with François, a middle-aged literature professor at the Sorbonne, reflecting on his […]