nAn anthology of the greatest stories by modern Japanese masters (including previously overlooked women writers)! nFourteen distinct voices are assembled in this one-of-a-kind anthology tracing a nations changing social landscapes. Internationally renowned writers like Yasunari Kawabata, Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Junichi Watanabe are joined by three notable women writers whose works have not yet received sufficient attention--Kanoko Okamoto, Fumiko Hayashi and Yumiko Kurahashi. n nHighlights of this anthology include: nn n- Kafu Nagais bittersweet portrait of a privileged familys expiring existence in The Fox n- Ango Sakaguchis heartening celebration of postwar chaos in One Woman and the War n- Fumiko Hayashis unabashed exploration of female sexuality in Borneo Diamond n- Junichi Watanabes chilling assessment of alienation and social dislocation in Invitation to Suicide n- Gishu Nakayamas look at an out-of-place prostitute recovering at a hot-spring resort in Autumn Wind nThrough brilliant, highly-praised translations by Lane Dunlop, The Best Japanese Short Stories offers fascinating glimpses of a society embracing change while holding tenaciously onto the past. A new foreword by Alan Tansman provides insightful back stories about the authors and the literary backdrop against which they created these great works of modern world literature.