Japan is often seen as a strange and quirky place. It’s been producing unusual works for more than a thousand years, and nowhere is that more evident than in the writings of Japanese authors. You might be familiar with Haruki Murakami or Natsuo Kirino, but if you’ve ever wanted a deeper dive into the world of Japanese books, this is the talk for you.

Storme will cover a wide range of literature, from Japanese classical works right up to contemporary authors, from poetry and autobiography through incendiary political treatises to science-fiction and meditative non-fiction and manga. On the way there’ll be discussions of motifs that recur over and over: death, sex, lesbianism, detachment, beauty, betrayal, honour and isolation. Japanese literature has something to offer almost everyone!

This will not be an impartial lecture, because great works do (and should) inspire opinions, but Storme promises to make a valiant effort to explain why certain books are important or beloved even when they don’t appeal to her personally.

This event will be held downstairs at Red Lion Books which is regrettably not accessible to wheelchair users.   If bookings exceed available space, this event may be moved offsite and incur a small, additional charge