Before we all get our hankies out though, there are still a few loose ends to tie up...
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Firstly, I'd like to say a big thank you to all those bloggers who have contributed reviews to our Review Page. At time of publishing this post, there were 71 reviews listed (and I've had promises of a few more!). That is far more than I expected :)
I haven't yet closed off the Linky, so if you're quick, you might just be able to get a sneaky last-minute post in. Hurry though - I will be closing it off at some point over the next few days...
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Thanks also to all those who participated in the readalong of Hiromi Kawakami's The Briefcase. While not all the opinions were the same, the overwhelming consensus was that it is a book which is well worth reading :) Any more reviews that come in will be added to the Linky and linked from my review.
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Our first series of J-Lit Giants also came to an end with my piece on Haruki Murakami, leaving us with seven giants in our initial pantheon. Naturally, in a such a select group, there are some glaring omissions. Neither of the Japanese Nobel Laureates were covered (although I actually thought at one point that I *had* posted on Kawabata...), and - as several people pointed out - there were no female giants/giantesses in the group.
To which I can only say gomen - hopefully this will be rectified in the future...
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Speaking of women and writing, the recent furore over the horrendous cover for the new edition of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar inspired Morgan at All Wrongs Reversed to look at how the covers of some female Japanese writers (namely Risa Wataya and Hiromi Kawakami) fared in translation. For a fascinating look at how their books look in English, French, German and Polish, please click through :)
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And, as promised, I have the result of my second giveaway! Everyone who had submitted a review on the Review Page by this weekend was eligible (only one chance each!), and the winner, as chosen by Random.Org, was:
Jackie of Farm Lane Books Blog
Congratulations Jackie! I'll be in touch soon to organise the prize :)
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And that's it - January in Japan is officially over :(
It's been great fun, if a little hectic at times, and I hope you all enjoyed the chance to share in the J-Lit love. The January in Japan blog will remain online as a resource, and there's always the chance of a new J-Lit Giants post every now and then.
Next year? We'll see ;)
