Posts filed under 'Book People'
Author, editor, translator, and Japanese children’s literature pioneer Momoko Ishii died on April 2 at the age of 101. Although few people outside of Japan (and many people in Japan, I suspect) recognize her name, Ishii was an important figure in the development of modern Japanese children’s literature. At the very least, she should be remembered as the person who first translated Winnie-the-Pooh into Japanese.
I was introduced to Ishii’s work through a footnote in an otherwise unremarkable book on postwar Japanese children’s literature. That note led me to Ishii’s 1947 children’s book Non-chan kumo ni noru (Non-chan Rides on a Cloud), with which I fell instantly in love. Since then, I have been obsessively gathering everything I can find about Ishii–much to the puzzlement of both my American and Japanese friends and several (very helpful and patient) American and Japanese book dealers.
The news of her death makes me wish that I had been more diligent in my efforts to turn my personal research into a published article or a useful Wikipedia entry (or, more importantly, a completed MA thesis). Perhaps, if there are not permissions restrictions (and LibraryThing resolves some of its East Asian language support issues), I will enter the catalog of Katsura Bunko, Ishii’s children’s library, into the LT legacy library project.
Although, sadly, I never met Ishii, I feel this week as if I have lost a great friend, a wise mentor that I always thought would be around. In some ways, she will always be around–in her writings and in the work of her successors. Rest in peace, Ms. Ishii.
Further reading:
April 4th, 2008
Stan Berenstain died last weekend at the age of 82. With his wife, Jan, he wrote and illustrated hundreds of books set in Bear Country.
I was not a huge Berenstain Bears fan as a child, but two Berenstain books hold a special place in my heart: The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby and Inside Outside Upside Down. The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby provided comfort and reassurance for me after my younger sister was born, while Inside Outside Upside Down is infamous in my family as being one of my favorite bedtime books. Many nights I cried for my parents to read that book to me once more.
J’s Scratchpad has a lovely post about her mother’s (and her own) appreciation for the many Berenstain Bears books.
Related links: The Official Berenstain Bears Website
December 2nd, 2005
My news queue is so long at this point that I fear that I will never have time to catch up. But, j’s post prompted me to mention a few important things.
As I am assuming most of you know, Terry Belanger, the founder and director of Rare Book School, was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship this week. I heard the good news as soon as I arrived at work on Tuesday and was very excited to read about it on the RBS website.
Rare Book School has received many well-deserved honors this year. In June RBS received an IMLS grant to fund 50 scholarships for the upcoming year. So, if you have never been to Charlottesville, would like to learn about rare books and the book arts, and want to meet the “genius in residence”, you should consider applying for a scholarship. The application deadline is October 1.
And, since I am writing about RBS, I would also like to thank everyone there for helping me have an enjoyable and educational time in Charlottesville last March and the previous August. In the better-late-than-never category, I hope to finish posting my March dispatches to this blog soon.
September 22nd, 2005
I was sad to read that scholar, rare book dealer, and past ABAA president Leona Rostenberg died last Thursday, March 17. The story of her life and work is described in yesterday’s New York Times obituary, “Leona Rostenberg, Who Uncovered Alcott Novels, Dies at 96“. I also recommend reading the two memoirs she wrote with Madeleine Stern: Old Books Rare Friends (1997) and Bookends (2001).
According to a post on SHARP-L yesterday, contributions in memory of Rostenberg can be made to the Orchard House — Home of the Alcotts in Concord.
March 25th, 2005
Michael Goldfarb interviews Matthew Battles, author of the recently published book Widener: Biography of a Library.
[via Ex Libris list and also seen on the Reading Room weblog]
November 24th, 2004
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