Returning to my neglected forums, Chef Gonzo brings another Dollar Bookstore gem: The Japanese Fairy Book.
The name of the book seems like it should have "...Tales" at the end of it, and a quick thumbing through the interior bears this out: this is a collection of Japanese folk tales and fairy tales and the essence of those scrolls that inspired the manga explosion. Manga is the mix of the traditional scroll-tale pasted onto the western's cartoon-in-panel-storytelling format.
But here we get the raw material, old fairy tales from a population that's original, if not completely bonkers...that Japanese crack me up.
This little book has pictures as well, some of which I find quite exhilarating:
The dragon king is unimpressed...
This, like the Hawai'i's history book written by her queen, is an ideal entry into my library. I enjoy my Murakami and Mishima, and maybe now I'll be able to recognize some of the basis for their wackiness.
