Brian Bergstrom
@brianbergstrom.bsky.social
Lecturer & Literary Translator JPN -> ENG
Current: DILEMMAS OF WORKING WOMEN by Fumio Yamamoto
July 2026: CAPITAL FROM ZERO by Kōhei Saitō
Soon: LOVEAHOLIC by Fumio Yamamoto
Tarte 🥧 and Butt 🌈 Enthusiast (à Montréal)
IG: instagram.com/asa_no_burei
Current: DILEMMAS OF WORKING WOMEN by Fumio Yamamoto
July 2026: CAPITAL FROM ZERO by Kōhei Saitō
Soon: LOVEAHOLIC by Fumio Yamamoto
Tarte 🥧 and Butt 🌈 Enthusiast (à Montréal)
IG: instagram.com/asa_no_burei
LOL "device hoarding"
Anyway, apropos of nothing in particular, watch for my newest translation, coming out this summer....
Anyway, apropos of nothing in particular, watch for my newest translation, coming out this summer....
November 25, 2025 at 9:02 PM
LOL "device hoarding"
Anyway, apropos of nothing in particular, watch for my newest translation, coming out this summer....
Anyway, apropos of nothing in particular, watch for my newest translation, coming out this summer....
Head all trimmed, like a topiary
November 25, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Head all trimmed, like a topiary
November 24, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Class prep for tomorrow (Hashiguchi Ryosuke's Hush! [2001])
November 24, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Class prep for tomorrow (Hashiguchi Ryosuke's Hush! [2001])
Chicago stuff
November 23, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Chicago stuff
"After courting controversy with his killing, dismembering, and eating parts of his acquaintances, Jeffrey Dahmer is making a comeback as an innovative chocolate maker and eyewear influencer."
November 20, 2025 at 3:35 PM
"After courting controversy with his killing, dismembering, and eating parts of his acquaintances, Jeffrey Dahmer is making a comeback as an innovative chocolate maker and eyewear influencer."
Getting ready to catch a plane to Chicago for a conference this weekend
November 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Getting ready to catch a plane to Chicago for a conference this weekend
November 19, 2025 at 10:42 PM
November 17, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Follow up: swinging into action
November 16, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Follow up: swinging into action
Sunday morning
November 16, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Sunday morning
Throwback to when a Japanese publisher sent me endorsements of Yamamoto and Dilemmas to use in pitching the collection, and included DeepL AI translations of them for my convenience.
I, uh, decided to translate them myself instead
I, uh, decided to translate them myself instead
![[Original]:
田辺聖子Seiko Tanabe
天衣無縫。天馬空を行く。文章にリズムがあって、現代の匂いがぷんぷんしていて面白い。スカスカと読めるが、底の岩盤、つまり人生と人間の洞察力はガッチリしている。それが文学的な肺活量を大きくしている。これは大人が楽しめる短編集だ。
[AI/DeepL]:
This is artlessness and loveliness, and the Creator’s flying horse! The writing has a rhythm, and it's interesting, with a whiff of modernity. It reads scuzzy, but the bedrock at the bottom - the insight into life and humanity - is stout. It makes for a great literary lung capacity. This is a real short story collection for adults to enjoy.
[Me]:
What artless beauty! What clarity of vision! The rhythm of the sentences couldn’t be more modern, or fascinating. Even when describing shabby realities, the bedrock beneath the writing—its deep understanding of the human condition—is so solid. This is work that broadens what literature can do, a collection of stories truly made for an adult readership.
Seiko Tanabe, prizewinning author of Sentimental Journey and Flowergathering
[Original]:
黒岩重吾 Jugo Kuroiwa
山本文緒の「プラナリア」を読み、その新鮮さに眼が洗われるような思いがした。蝶もいれば毒虫もいる。ガラスの破片があれば、本物の玉もある。登場人物たちが何度もセックスしても気にならないし、若い女性が公園で寝ていても、不潔な感じがしない。人間を影裏な刃物で抉りながらも、小気味がよい。時には詩的でさえもある。しかも、どの短編も新鮮だから、感心したという以外にない。
[AI/DeepL]:
When I read this collection, I felt as if my eyes were being washed clean by its freshness. There are butterflies and there are poisonous insects. There are shards of glass and there are real diamonds. It doesn't bother me when the characters have sex repeatedly, nor do I feel unclean when the young women sleep in the park. It is small and creepy, even while gouging out human beings with shadowy blades. At times, it is even poetic. Moreover, each short story is fresh, and I can only say that I am impressed.
[Me]:
The freshness of this collection made me feel as if my eyes were being washed clean as I read it. It contains both beautiful butterflies and stinging, venomous bugs; both real gems and glittering shards of glass. The characters have sex again and again, lovelessly; one young woman spends her nights sleeping in…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:25a4w47mlwtx3vexjg2khyym/bafkreifyb4sp2ayr7w4d4y67adhjtddwukcv42aop5qymvub5tjbqfgmve@jpeg)
![[Original]:
林真理子 Mariko Hayashi
恋愛小説を書く作家にとって、山本文緒の出現は驚きだった。作家は普通、恋愛というゴールに向かって、さまざまな仕掛けをする。美男美女でなくても、登場人物はそれなりの魅力を持たせようと苦労する。いわゆる「説得力」だ。ところが、山本の小説は、最初からそういうことを放棄している。男も女も、これといって美点を持たない。「嫌ではなかった」という理由で、女と男は関係を持つ。このずれ方が、実に現代的で、面白い。今までの恋愛小説に出てくる、恋や仕事に前向きな女性という理想像に、山本は大きなバツ印をつけたような気がする。後半の、居酒屋の主人を主人公にした短編は、作者の著しい成長がわかる。山本の受賞は、我が事のように嬉しい。
[AI / DeepL]:
For writers of romance novels, the emergence of Fumio Yamamoto was a big surprise. Writers usually rely on a variety of tricks to achieve the goal of romance. Even if the characters are not beautiful man and woman, we take pains to make them attractive in their own way. This is what is called "persuasiveness.” However, in Yamamoto's novels, she abandons this from the very beginning. Neither the men nor the women have any particular beauty. The woman and the man enter into a relationship because “I didn't dislike him.” This displacement is very modern and interesting. It is as if Yamamoto has put a big cross on the ideal image of a woman who is positive about love and work that has appeared in romance novels up to now. The short story featuring a tavern owner, shows the author's remarkable growth. I am very happy as if it were my own that Yamamoto won this Naoki award.
[Me]:
Yamamoto’s emergence has really shaken up the world of romance literature. Writers of romance usually rely on a series of well-worn devices to propel their stories toward love. They work to demonstrate their characters’ attractiveness to the reader even if they aren’t conventionally attractive. This is thought to constitute a romance’s “believability.” But Yamamoto throws this conventional wisdom out entirely. Neither her men nor her women are presented with an eye to their attractiveness. They’re shown falling into relationships simply because they “don’t hate” each other. This destabilizes the reader, and constitutes the stories’ interest, their modern flair. It’s as if Yamamoto looked at the typical heroine of romance literature—the ideal worki…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:25a4w47mlwtx3vexjg2khyym/bafkreihm2kucc6wjbsayyimhm2ia7znw7jdhaciiybgjsh2tpjyenajj5e@jpeg)
November 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Throwback to when a Japanese publisher sent me endorsements of Yamamoto and Dilemmas to use in pitching the collection, and included DeepL AI translations of them for my convenience.
I, uh, decided to translate them myself instead
I, uh, decided to translate them myself instead
Action photo with coffee
November 12, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Action photo with coffee
Portrait of a brave little bicycle
November 11, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Portrait of a brave little bicycle
November 10, 2025 at 6:02 PM
8 am after the first snowfall of the year ✌️
November 10, 2025 at 1:11 PM
8 am after the first snowfall of the year ✌️
Ugh what a goddess
November 7, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Ugh what a goddess
Off to see an event with Juliette Binoche (!) this afternoon
November 7, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Off to see an event with Juliette Binoche (!) this afternoon