Collected Writings of J. Thomas Rimer

Widely acknowledged as the doyen of twentieth-century Japanese literature, fine art and the performing arts, as well as being renowned for his translations of Zeami and Mori Ogai . Collected Writings of J.Thomas Rimer brings together in whole or in part much of Rimer’s prodigious output in these fields over the past forty years, including some of his milestone (fully illustrated) essays on Japanese Art, especially ‘Tokyo in Paris/ Paris in Tokyo’ (Japan Foundation, 1987). The volume is divided into seven themes: I. Writings on Noh, II. Writings on Japanese Poetry; III. Writings on Mori Ogai, IV. Japan’s Modern Theatre, V. Japanese Literature, VI. Cultural Crossroads and VII. Art and Artistry. A further volume is planned to reflect Rimer’s substantial contributions as translator and commentator within the fields of modern Japanese theatre and literature. By way of introduction, Rimer offers the reader a fascinating tour on his forty-five year-association with Japan, beginning with his tour of military duty just after the Korean War: ‘After the usual vicissitudes of basic training,’ he recalls, ‘I found myself shipped off to Japan, a country about which I possessed no prior knowledge whatsoever.