"Now Japan is a very small, flat, unified world. Everything is very small and very much the same. There are no Others. It tends to be relaxing but it can also be dull. You can't meet with the New or the Strange." Ryu Murakami's words might seem bleak to a Western audience. But to better understan

Anxiety, Dark, Dreamy, Eclectic, Lyrical, Postmodern fiction, Sexy

The arts at the beginning of twentieth century saw a turn from social realism to a more expressionistic pathos, and the work of Yasunari Kawabata (Kawabata Yasunari) was no exception. In the 1920s his association with the Neo-Sensualists says it all: these writers employed lyrical and impressionistic

Death, Lyrical, Melancholy, Modernist literature, Sensual

Vietnam is a country much visited by the ghost of war. The sister specters of imperialism, political strife, and atrocity flit through the cultural psyche, incessantly whispering disturbing thoughts in people's ears. In response, the Vietnamese seem to practice a certain serenity, never repressing pa

Contemplative, Lyrical, Serene, Violent

Zhang Yimou was in secondary school when the Cultural Revolution exploded in China in 1966. Since his father had served in the old guard, Zhang was sent immediately to the countryside to begin ten years of education (or hard labor) in the fields. While his hands churned the soil, his mind turned to d

Elegant, Epic, Hypnotic, Lyrical, Mainland chinese (the 5th generation), Political, Rebel