Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa - Paperback

Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) was born in Iwate, one of the northernmost prefectures in Japan. In high school, he studied Zen Buddhism and developed a lifelong devotion to the Lotus Sutra, a major influence on his writing. After graduating from an agricultural college, he moved to Tokyo to begin his writing career but had to return home to care for a sick sister. He remained in his home in Iwate for the rest of his life. One of his best-known works is the novel Night on the Galactic Railroad, which was adapted into anime in the late twentieth century, as were many of his short stories. Much of his poetry is still popular in Japan today.

John Bester (1927-2010) was a renowned translator of Japanese fiction, including Masuji Ibuse's Black Rain, Kenzaburo Oe's The Silent Cry, and Yukio Mishima's Acts of Worship: Seven Stories, for which he received the Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature.