English readers can now easily access current Japanese writing

Monkey, Japan’s newest English literary magazine, debuted in October. The journal promotes contemporary Japanese literature translated into English and includes some of the most well-known writers and translators in the world.

The first issue of the literary journal translates a wide range of recent and classic Japanese literature, and encourages conversation regarding the translation process. A couple of the standouts are “The Visitor,” a graphic novel by Jon Klassen with prose by Yōko Ogawa and translation by Lucy North, and “The Razor,” a translation by Ted Goossen featuring introductions by renowned director Hirokazu Koreeda from Naoya Shiga.

Monkey is a sort of rebirth of the venerable Monkey Business, which was run for several years by Motoyuki Shibata, a Japanese translator known for his work translating Paul Auster and other notable writers into Japanese. Shibata collaborated with Ted Goossen, a renowned translator of Japanese literary superstar Haruki Murakami. With the assistance of Tadashi Yanai, the creator of the massive Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo, the two managed to bring the magazine back to life.

For admirers of Japanese literature, the roster of authors and translators can be thrilling, even stunning, but Monkey aims to be both smart and approachable, according to Eric Margolis, who spoke with Shibata for the Japan Times before the book’s introduction.

Monkey is going to be a vibrant, fascinating literary publication, featuring translations by contemporary novelists such as Kawakami and others. The first issue is available for purchase on the Monkey website in a number of electronic, downloadable e-pub formats. A printed version will be released in December 2020.