Kobayashi Hideo (1902-83) was the most important Japanese literary critic of the twentieth century, as crucial a presence in his own literary culture as Edmund Wilson, Walter Benjamin, and Roland Barthes were in theirs.

It is not too much to say that modern literary criticism in Japan begins with Kobayashi. Echoes of his judgments and values are everywhere present in modern Japanese literary discourse. Indeed, his impact on later criticism is such that writing about Kobayashi has become something of a rite of passage for Japanese critics aspiring to literary leadership. This book is a collection of the most significant and enduring works from the period when Kobayashi established himself as Japan's preeminent literary critic.

Reviews

Anderer has now given readers of English the opportunity to form their own conclusions [about Kobayashi]. This is no mean feat, as anyone who has dipped into the original texts knows, and for it he deserves much gratitude. . . . Given the difficulties of Kobayashi's style . . . translation is a paramount issue. Anderer has risen to the occasion admirably.

-Monumenta Nipponica

By making these widely read and often quoted essays available in English, Anderer has provided a valuable service.

-Japan Quarterly