Toddler Hunting and Other Stories

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Toddler Hunting and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Taeko Kono. In the English version, Lucy North was the primary translator while Lucy Lower had contributed other translation work. The English translation was first published in 1996 by New Directions Publishing.[1] The first story in the collection was written in 1961, and the last one was written in 1971.[2] The English translation of the collection was republished in 2018.[3]

Kirkus Reviews stated that most of the short stories have a similar structure.[4] John Self, in The Guardian, describes the works as "unignorably strange" and characterized by "sexual violence and masochism".[2] Writer Gelareh Asayesh, in the Tampa Bay Times, wrote that the writing style in the collection is "unadorned".[1] Maryse Meijer of Publishers Weekly stated that Kono does not intend to "shock" nor use "sensationalism or surprise" but instead to show how desire has a freeing feeling as well as the negative effects of having feelings of shame.[5] Gabe Habash, in The Paris Review, stated that a lack of closure is an element in these stories.[6]

Contents

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The collection gets its title from one story, "Toddler Hunting" (幼児狩り Yōji-gari), in which the female protagonist has, in Self's words, an "unhealthy interest".[2] This story was also published in The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories.[7]

One story, "Final Moments," is about a woman who realizes that her death will occur tomorrow, and describes her subsequent actions. Hiromi Kawakami, writing in The New York Times, stated that, as translated by Allison Markin Powell, the work is "surprisingly tranquil and matter of fact."[8]

Reception

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Kirkus Reviews gave a starred review, arguing that the volume "should be an electrifying discovery" for people interested in short stories available in English.[4]

Publishers Weekly gave a starred review, arguing that the volume is "strikingly original and surprising".[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b Asayesh, Gelareh (1996-04-21). "Good longings gone bad". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  2. ^ a b c Self, John (2021-05-24). "Toddler Hunting and Other Stories by Taeko Kono review – sex lives of the quietly kinky". The Guardian. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  3. ^ Sacks, Sam (2018-11-22). "Fiction: The Union of Death and Desire". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  4. ^ a b "TODDLER HUNTING AND OTHER STORIES". Kirkus Reviews. 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  5. ^ Meijer, Maryse (2019-02-15). "10 Essential Scary Books by Women". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  6. ^ Habash, Gabe (2018-11-15). "The Shocking, Subversive Endings of Taeko Kōno's Stories". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  7. ^ Levesque, Roger (1997-09-07). "A look into Japanese culture". Edmonton Journal. p. G7 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Kawakami, Hiromi (2023-01-04). "Read Your Way Through Tokyo". The New York Times. Translated by Allison Markin Powell. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  9. ^ "Toddler Hunting and Other Stories". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2025-08-26.

Further reading

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Sources in Japanese about short stories in the collection:

  • Nakatani, Katsumi (December 1992). "「幼児狩り」論 : 河野多恵子の偏執的出発". 青須我波良 (in Japanese). 44. Tezukayama University: 21–42. - Issue profile at Tezukayama University
  • 岩泉, 優理 (March 2001). "河野多恵子『幼児狩り』論--晶子の特異性". 盛岡大学日本文学会研究会報告 / 盛岡大学日本文学会 編 (in Japanese) (9). Takizawa, Iwate: Morioka University 日本文学会: 23-30. - Profile at CiNii
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