As delicate as the shimmering wings of a dragonfly, Kinshu -- an epistolary novel by one of Japan's most popular literary authors -- is a masterpiece of simplicity and beauty.

Chosen as an Outstanding Work of Japanese Literature by the Japanese Literature Publishing Project

"Miyamoto, a prize-winning author in Japan, writes with an unfaltering, quiet authority.... Kinshu is finally available to the English-speaking world. We're fortunate to have it." --San Francisco Chronicle

Life, death, karma--these interwoven themes form the heart of this lyrical novel in letters, Kinshu: Autumn Brocade , the first work to be published in the U.S. by Teru Miyamoto, one of Japan's most popular literary writers.

The word kinshu has many connotations in Japanese--brocade, poetic writing, the brilliance of autumn leaves--and resonates here as a vibrant metaphor for the complex, intimate relationship between Aki and Yasuaki. Ten years after a dramatic divorce, they meet by chance at a mountain resort. Aki initiates a new correspondence, and letter by letter through the seasons, the secrets of the past unfold as they reflect on their present struggles. From a lover's suicide to a father's controlling demands, to Mozart's Thirty-ninth Symphony ("a veritable marvel of sixteenth notes"), to the karmic consequences of their actions, the story glides through their deeply introspective and stirring exchanges. What begins as a series of accusations and apologies, questions and excuses, turns into a source of mutual support and healing.

"While addressing classic Japanese themes of transience, destiny, male infidelity and female jealousy, this novel feels fresh for its proposal that men's work may be less consequential than women's.... Fans [of Banana Yoshimoto] will hear echoes in her predecessor's limpid, modest (and smoothly translated) prose." --Publishers Weekly

Born in Kobe in 1947, TERU MIYAMOTO is one of Japan's most celebrated authors. He has received Japan's most prestigious literary distinctions, including the Osamu Dazai Prize and the Akutagawa Prize, and several of his works have been made into award-winning movies, including Maborosi, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. Translator ROGER K. THOMAS is Professor of Japanese Language and Literature at Illinois State University. He has also published translations of Yashushi Inoue and Fumiko Enchi.

Cloth edition: ISBN 0-8112-1633-0, $22.95

Date of publication: February 2007