Tales of Kenji Miyazawa, Part 2

How about more stories?

Three more from Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa, translated by John Bester.

To listen, click the “play” arrow at the bottom of the player below. The gray bars above the time code indicate different sections and stories. Click them to jump to any position in the audio. 

Contents

00:00 – Introduction
01:36 – The Red Blanket
18:43 – The Police Chief
28:47 – Gorsch the Cellist


There's a movie! Gauche the Cellist

You may know Studio Ghibli, the famous Japanese animation company founded by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. A few years before founding the studio, Takahata made a one-hour version of Miyazawa’s tale—much loved in Japan, rarely seen in the US.

I found a place to stream it!

Ohmagosh. It’s gorgeous. It’s painterly. It cares about music and character and story.


Music credits

Opening theme

Suki Kasih, by In This World

Red Blanket theme

Dojo Tradition, by In This World

Police Chief theme

Shrine, by In This World

Gorsch the Cellist theme

The Merry Master of a Coach, From the Studio Ghibli film, Gauche the Cellist

Outro

Siwa Oasis, by In This World


Poems by Gregory Orr

Maybe I could read you some poems?

Here are selections from Concerning the book that is the body of the beloved, by Gregory Orr.

To listen, click the “play” arrow at the bottom of the players below. Hold the cursor to see a series of short gray bars, one for each poem. Click them to jump to any position in the audio.


Part one, selections from pages 16 to 43

13 minutes 21 seconds


Part Two, selections from pages 47 to 83

11 minutes 26 seconds


Part Three, selections from pages 94 to 130

9 minutes 18 seconds


Part Four, selections from pages 133 to 195

12 minutes 34 seconds


Music credits

Opening and ending theme

Photos of our lives, by Kit Keenlyside

Section 2 theme

102F, by Dario Benedetti

Section 3 theme

Tramp’s Dance, by Dario Benedetti

Section4 theme

Night Jam, by Federico Ferrandina


Tales of Kenji Miyazawa, Part 1

Maybe I could read you some stories?

Here are three from Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa, translated by John Bester.

To listen, click the “play” arrow at the bottom of the player below. The gray bars above the time code indicate different sections and stories. Click them to jump to any position in the audio. 

Contents

00:00 – Introducing the tales of Kenji Miyazawa
01:43 – The first deer dance
19:59 – Wildcat and the acorns
39:34 – The bears of Nametoko


Music credits

Opening theme

Suki Kasih, by In This World

Wildcat’s theme

Siwa Oasis, by In This World

Bears theme

Music recorded at a performance of Noh theater