In the last few years I’ve started appreciating Japanese literature not just in traditional book form, but also in audio narration form. I listen as I take a walk, or just sit and close my eyes––it’s a great way to relax while enjoying Japanese lit.
I’ve also started experimentally doing some audio narrations of stories that I have translated. You can find a few here, here, and here. (I even got a professional narrator to record an audio book for one of my books here.)
Reading text aloud is actually something I try to do during the editing steps for my translations. Not only does it help catch mistakes, but it makes understanding the flow better to help with things like comma placement. Finally, I have found it really helps get me a new appreciation for the work that I might not otherwise have had.
So after I released my latest book of works of Japanese literature, I decided to do a voice narration of a portion of one of my favorite stories, Acala the Immovable by Soto Tachibana. It’s about a couple who decides to travel to a snowy harbor town in a remote location where they witness a terrible accident.