Kafū the Scribbler: The Life and Writings of Nagai Kafū, 1879–1959
A foundational example of Seidensticker's original literary scholarship and biography.
Author guide
Edward G. Seidensticker Books in Order
Edward George Seidensticker (1921–2007) was an American scholar of Japanese literature whose influential translations introduced major works by Yasunari Kawabata, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Yukio Mishima, and Murasaki Shikibu to English-language readers. Alongside his translation career, he wrote literary biography, cultural criticism, histories of Tokyo, essays, memoir, and literary adaptations. His original works include a biography of Nagai Kafū, a two-volume history of modern Tokyo, reflections on Japan and The Tale of Genji, a memoir, and collections of lyrical episodes and adapted stories.
japanologyliterary scholarshipliterary biographycultural historymemoiressaysliterary adaptations
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Low City, High City: Tokyo from Edo to the Earthquake: How the Shogun's Ancient Capital Became a Great Modern City, 1867–1923
The first volume of his major history of Tokyo and a strong entry point to his cultural history.
Read in order
Books by series
nonfiction · complete
History of Tokyo
Edward G. Seidensticker's two-volume cultural history of Tokyo, covering the city's transformation from the Meiji Restoration through the twentieth century.
Outside the series
