How Do You Live?: The uplifting Japanese classic that has enchanted millions

by Genzaburō Yoshino

Hardcover, 2021

Description

Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML: The first English translation of the classic Japanese novel that has sold over 2 million copies�??a childhood favorite of anime master Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl�??s Moving Castle), with an introduction by Neil Gaiman.   First published in 1937, Genzaburō Yoshino�??s How Do You Live? has long been acknowledged in Japan as a crossover classic for young readers. Academy Award�??winning animator Hayao Miyazaki has called it his favorite childhood book and announced plans to emerge from retirement to make it the basis of his final film.    How Do You Live? is narrated in two voices. The first belongs to Copper, fifteen, who after the death of his father must confront inevitable and enormous change, including his own betrayal of his best friend. In between episodes of Copper�??s emerging story, his uncle writes to him in a journal, sharing knowledge and offering advice on life�??s big questions as Copper begins to encounter them. Over the course of the story, Copper, like his namesake Copernicus, looks to the stars, and uses his discoveries about the heavens, earth, and human nature to answer the question of how he will live.   This first-ever English-language translation of a Japanese classic about finding one�??s place in a world both infinitely large and unimaginably small is perfect for readers of philosophical fiction like The Alchemist and The Little Prince, as well as Miyazaki fans eager to understand one of his most imp… (more)

Publication

Rider (2021), Edition: 01, 288 pages

User reviews

LibraryThing member bibliovermis
This lovely novel was both complicated and very simple. It combines a lot of things that may not seem related at all—philosophical musings on morality, intelligence, poverty, and bravery; a story of a boy's school days in the 1930s; the effects of globalization on humans and production; really
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detailed descriptions of the process of making tofu; a kind of in-depth overview of the life and works of Napoleon... there's a lot going on but it all works! It kept my interest, and reading this now with a historical perspective certain things jumped out as really fascinating, for example: the words highlighting fairness, justice, the need to end poverty worldwide, and respect for laborers—all issues we are still, still struggling with today—from an author who would shortly be ostracized by his increasingly militarized government; and the parallels between the ideas and actions of the bullying older boys at Copper's school and the hallmarks of the way that fascism would shortly rise, and continues to rise, in many societies. This all makes it sound really intense, but really the feeling of the book is primarily coziness. It has a sweet, profound quality that would appeal to those who enjoy works like The Little Prince.
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Language

Original language

Japanese

Original publication date

1937

Physical description

288 p.; 8.74 inches

ISBN

1846046459 / 9781846046452

Other editions

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