Spark (Japanese Novellas) by Naoki Matayoshi, Allison Watts (Paperback)

Fiction - World Literature - Japan - Humorous - Literary - Coming of Age RELEASE DATE: 7/8/2025 (WILL SHIP DIRECTLY FROM OUR SUPPLIER'S WAREHOUSE) Translated from the Japanese by: Alison Watts Hilarious, strange, and moving in equal measure—a Japanese multi-million-copy smash hit about the struggles of a young manzai duo of stand-up comedians Perfect for readers of strange, funny Japanese fiction, from Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman to Emi Yagi’s Diary of a Void “A whip-smart tale that'll prove impossible to put down” – Vogue Tokunaga is a young comedian struggling to make a name for himself. He meets the older Kamiya, who is either a crazy genius or perhaps just crazy, and who agrees to take Tokunaga under his wing if he writes his biography. Kamiya's indestructible confidence inspires Tokunaga, but it also makes him doubt not just the limits of his own talent, but his dedication to manzai comedy—a Japanese form of comedy involving a duo, one partner playing a more serious ch