I have already posted on the title piece from the collection from which this story is taken, the diving pool, a strange and beautiful tale of a young woman and her obsession with watching her step brother dive. The diving pool quotes showing 110 of 10 still, being alone doesnt mean you have to be miserable. How else to explain that the diving pool is yoko ogawas first published englishlanguage book, despite the fact that shes been writing since the early 90s. Her books include the housekeeper and the professor, revenge, and the diving pool. Hauntingly spare, beautiful, and twisted, the diving pool is a disquieting and at times darkly humorous collection of novellas about normal.
The most famous work of yoko ogawa 1962 is the professor and the housekeeper which was loved by all who blogged on it. In the third and final story, there are pies, cakes, assorted sweets. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the diving pool. Yoko ogawa is the author of the diving pool, the housekeeper and the professor, and hotel iris. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Yoko ogawas fiction has appeared in the new yorker, a public space, and zoetrope. Ogawas diving pool is a short read, something you can go through in a day but stays with you for a longer time than you will want to. Since 1988 she has published more than twenty works of fiction and nonfiction, and has won every major japanese literary award. Each novella is so well crafted that it will be difficult for one to believe that you will end up loosing your sleep over it.
The diving pool is a disquieting and, at times, darkly humorous collection of novellas about dark possibilites. The diving pool paperback by yoko ogawa and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Apr 02, 2009 buy the diving pool by ogawa, yoko, snyder, stephen from amazons fiction books store. Revenge which she published in 20 is a mosaic of several novels with recurring motifs, characters, and settings. Her fiction has appeared in the new yorker, a public space and zoetrope. Aug 01, 2008 the diving pool is so emotionally authentic that an easy romantic resolution would come as a disappointment, and indeed ogawa fulfils expectations. Vikas turahkia, the plain dealer cleveland ogawa weaves a poignant tale of beauty, heart and sorrow in her exquisite new novel. How does ogawa use language to convey emotion in this story. The diving pool collects three stories by ogawa yoko, each narrated by a young woman living very much in her own world. A discussion of yoko ogawas the diving pool with the books translator stephen snyder and translator and editor allison markin powell at idlewild books in. Yoko ogawa author yoko ogawa has won every major japanese literary award.
In each the voice and tone, subdued but firm, is nearmasterful, the three narrating characters eerily real, but even in the most roundedoff of the stories theres a sense. A dangerous infatuation, an eerie nostalgia trip, an escalating addiction. Reading group guide the diving pool a novel by yoko ogawa isbn. Ogawa is a conspicuously gifted writer, and this small showcase of three novellas must surely create a. Even so, the diving pool, translated by stephen snyder, is the first substantial edition of ogawa s fiction to be published on these shores even if only in paperback.
Although a prolific author, very few of ogawas works are available in english at present, and i can only hope that this is rectified in the near future. Her books include the housekeeper and the professor, revenge, and the diving pool stephen snyder teaches japanese literature at middlebury college. Because she is relatively unknown to american readers, picador, which will publish ogawas novel the housekeeper and the professor next year, has gone out of its way in promoting the book to assure us that she has won every major japanese literary award. The diving pool yoko ogawa stephen snyder, translator picador. The author describes the scene with awful clarity but the reader is a participant, drawing conclusions from what is not said. Aug 12, 2019 the diving pool, a collection of novellas published in english. A lonely teenaged girl falls in love with her fosterbrother as she watches him leap from a high diving board into a pool an unspoken infatuation that. The housekeeper and the professor yoko ogawa macmillan. Taken together, these two characteristics make it tempting to classify ogawas work as part of the japanese inovel.
I picked up the diving pool by yoko ogawa on one of my bookbuying jaunts with the lovely kirsty from the literary sisters. Ogawa s diving pool is a short read, something you can go through in a day but stays with you for a longer time than you will want to. Stephen snyder is a japanese translator and professor of japanese studies at middlebury college, vermont. But children hide nothing, putting everything into their tears, which they spread liberally about for the whole world to see. The diving pool book austin public library bibliocommons. I feel as though ive been swallowed by a huge animal. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 164 pages and is available in paperback format. Her works include the diving pool, a collection of three novellas, the housekeeper and the profess. The professor and the housekeeper also by ogawa has to be one of the most blogged about japanese novels of the last year. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the diving pool.
Feb 04, 2008 a masterfully twisted triptych of dark novellas marks the american debut of a critically acclaimed japanese fiction writer. Chicago turabian humanities citation style guide ogawa, yoko, 1962 and stephen snyder, the diving pool. Because she is relatively unknown to american readers, picador, which will publish ogawa s novel the housekeeper and the professor next year, has gone out of its way in promoting the book to assure us that she has won every major japanese literary award. The book is a collection of three of ogawa s novellas and is a great introduction to her dark, twisted world.
The diving pool by yoko ogawa 50 pages, 1991translated from japanese by stephen snyder is the lead story in a collection of three short stories by ogawa under the title the diving pool. Like when we grow up, we find ways to hide our anxieties, our loneliness, our fear and sorrow. The diving pool is the first of her booklength works to be translated into english. After a few minutes, my hair, my eyelashes, even the blouse of my school uniform are damp from the heat and humidity, and im bathed in a moist film that smells vaguely of chlorine. A creepy sense of quiet haunts ogawas stories sfgate. Dec 02, 2008 the translation of haruki murakami into english has been wonderful for haruki murakami, but questionably less beneficial for contemporary japanese fiction as a whole. Since 1988, ogawa has published more than forty works of fiction and nonfiction.
Yoko ogawas collection of novellas, the diving pool, plunges the reader into three psychologically tense stories. Yoko ogawa translated from the japanese by stephen snyder in yoko ogawas first major english translation, three stories present a brutally honest and fearless picture of obsession and desire. A young woman records the daily moods of her pregnant sister in a diary, but rather than a story of growth the diary reveals a more sinister tale of. The first major english translation of one of contemporary japans bestselling and most celebrated authors from akutagaw. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. A lonely teenage girl falls in love with her fosterbrother as she watches him leap from a high diving board into a pool sparking an unspoken infatuation that draws out darker possibilities. Ogawa s charming fable presents a stark contrast to the creepy novellas collected last year in the diving pool, but her strength as an engaging writer remains. The diving pool kindle edition by ogawa, yoko, snyder, stephen. Narrated by the housekeeper, the characters are known only as the professor and root, the. Mar 25, 2019 the diving pool, a collection of three novellas, is the only outstanding work of yoko ogawas which is currently available in english, which i had not yet read although a prolific author, very few of ogawas works are available in english at present, and i can only hope that this is rectified in the ne.
Her works include the diving pool, a collection of three novellas, the housekeeper and the professor, hotel iris and the story collection revenge translator. A cousin calls, needs a place to live while he is at the university in tokyo. The diving pool, also translated by snyder, is the american debut of three of her awardwinning novellas. Ogawa has an affinity for the first person narrator. The narrators of both pregnancy diary and the diving pool commit dreadful acts poisoning an expectant woman and tormenting a young orphaned toddler. Ogawa was born in okayama, okayama prefecture, graduated from waseda university, and lives in ashiya, hyogo, with her husband and son career. Ogawa resists the label, saying she considers herself an eavesdropper on her characters. Aug 08, 2015 ogawa has an affinity for the first person narrator. Yoko ogawa s fiction has appeared in the new yorker, a public space, and zoetrope. Ogawa the diving pool weaves a poignant tale of beauty, heart and sorrow in her exquisite new novel. Across each tale, the characters subvert expectation with distanced. Her fiction has appeared in the new yorker, a public space, and zoetrope.
Stephen snyder has finally undertaken this task, superbly rendering ogawas spare yet intimate style for stories in the new yorker, a public space, and zoetrope. The first major english translation of one of contemporary japans bestselling and most celebrated authors from akutagawa awardwinning author yoko ogawa comes a haunting trio of novellas about love, fertility, obsession, and how even the most innocent gestures may contain a hairline crack of cruel intent. Her works include the diving pool, a collection of three novellas. The diving pool is so emotionally authentic that an easy romantic resolution would come as a disappointment, and indeed ogawa fulfils expectations. Eleven dark tales the diving pool exclusively uses the i perspective. Beautiful, twisted and brilliant discover yoko ogawa. From akutagawa awardwinning author yoko ogawa comes a haunting trio of novellas about love, fertility, obsession, and how even the most innocent gestures may contain a hairline crack of cruel intent. Its not horror, its not totally surrealistic, but the mood is dreamlike a dream always threatening to tip into a nightmare. As the daughter of religious parents who run an orphanage, aya feels.
The book is a collection of three of ogawas novellas and is a great introduction to her dark, twisted world. The diving pool is a set of novellas about women living very isolated lives since they are unable to connect with others because of sadism and casual cruelty. The diving pool, a collection of three novellas, is the only outstanding work of yoko ogawas which is currently available in english, which i had not yet read. Reading ogawas tales is synonymous to entering an illusory state that is filled with frightening scenes briscoe 9. The diving pool translated by stephen snyder was the first of yoko ogawas works to appear in english, although the word work is a bit of a misnomer. Although a prolific author, very few of ogawas works are available in english at present, and i. Epigrammatic, interesting, wonderful control of structure,providing a full picture in so few words. In 2006 she coauthored an introduction to the worlds most elegant mathematics with masahiko fujiwara, a mathematician, as a dialogue on the. Yoko ogawa has won every major japanese literary award. Dec 08, 2018 the diving pool, a collection of three novellas, is the only outstanding work of yoko ogawas which is currently available in english, which i had not yet read.
Three novellas kindle edition by yoko ogawa, stephen snyder. While ogawas novellas arent technically linked, they are bound thematicallyin each, a female loner is driven to explore the dark underbelly of her otherwise normal life. Three novellas by yoko ogawa in chm, epub, fb2 download ebook. The first major english translation of one of contemporary japans bestselling and most celebrated authors from akutagawa awardwinning author yoko ogawa comes a. The first major english translation of one of contemporary japans most celebrated, awardwinning authors. The first and strongest piece is narrated by the teenage daughter of a pastor who runs an orphanage. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. While ogawa s novellas arent technically linked, they are bound thematicallyin each, a female loner is driven to explore the dark underbelly of her otherwise normal life. The diving pool ebook austin public library bibliocommons. The main characters of this short stories, fiction story are. The diving pool by yoko ogawa the fiveeyed bookworm. Even so, the diving pool, translated by stephen snyder, is the first substantial edition of ogawas fiction to be published on these shores even if only in paperback.
Chicago turabian author date citation style guide ogawa, yoko, 1962 and stephen snyder. Jan 06, 2014 the diving pool translated by stephen snyder was the first of yoko ogawa s works to appear in english, although the word work is a bit of a misnomer. It is not strictly horror yet it is foreboding and unsettling enough to satisfy fans of dark literature. In each the voice and tone, subdued but firm, is nearmasterful, the three narrating characters eerily real, but even in the most roundedoff of the stories theres a sense of incompleteness. Jan 09, 2009 a discussion of yoko ogawa s the diving pool with the books translator stephen snyder and translator and editor allison markin powell at idlewild books in new york city. Essentially, the diving pool is made up of three novellas, and i am happy to say each tale was a satisfying world in its own right. Jul, 2018 im not sure what genre to file the diving pool in. Read the diving pool three novellas by yoko ogawa available from rakuten kobo. Nowhere is this attention to timing more evident and appropriate than in the story the diving pool, in which style and form follow narrative function in a manner as seamless and organic as, well, a medalwinning plunge off an olympic springboard. The diving pool kindle edition by ogawa, yoko, snyder. May 07, 2008 a dangerous infatuation, an eerie nostalgia trip, an escalating addiction. These happen quite often and luckily, i always seem to come away with some brilliant pieces of literature. A cursory glance at the everyday lives of the characters presents the startling possibilities of cruelty and obsession.