Yokohama, California (Classics of Asian American Literature)

Yokohama, California, originally released in 1949, is the first published collection of short stories by a Japanese American. Set in a fictional community, these linked stories are alive with the people, gossip, humor, & legends of Japanese America in the 1930s & 1940s.Replaces ISBN 9780295961675Toshio Mori (1910–1980) was born in Oakland, California. During World War II, he was interned, with his family, at the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah, where he served as camp historian. Xiaojing Zhou is professor of English at the University of the Pacific and author of Cities of Others: Reimagining Urban Spaces in Asian American Literature.William Saroyan (1908-1981) was an internationally renowned Armenian American writer, playwright, & humanitarian. He achieved great popularity in the thirties, forties, & fifties through his hundreds of short stories, plays, novels, memoirs, & essays. In 1939, Saroyan was the first American writer to win both the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award & the Pulitzer Prize for his play The Time of Your Life. He famously refused to accept the Pulitzer Prize on the grounds that "Commerce should not patronize art." He died near his hometown of Fresno at the age of seventy-two. The Time of Your Life was originally published in 1983 by Methuen. Yokohama, California, Originally Released In 1949, Is The First Published Collection Of Short Stories By A Japanese American. These Linked Stories Are Alive With The People, Gossip, Humor, And Legends Of Japanese America In The 1930s And 1940s. 22 Stories Present Subtle Glimpses Into The Lives Of Japanese-americans In Their Neighborhood In Oakland, California, Aka “yokohama.” Mori Has A Delicate Touch, And The Stories Have More Than A Passing Resemblance To Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio (1919); In Fact, That Book Is Specifically Referenced In “akira Yano,” A Poignant Tale About A Man Whose Family Wants Him To Train As An Engineer Though His Dream Is To Become A Writer. Unfailingly Optimistic, Yano Winds Up Paying $300 To Have His Book Published, All The While Expecting Glowing Reviews And Never Quite Realizing The Extent To Which His “success” Is Negligible. In “slant-eyed Americans,” A Family Learns With Shock That The Parents Of American Citizens Of Japanese Descent Have Been Declared “enemy Aliens.” An Added Irony Is That Kazuo, The Eldest Son In The Family, Is An American Soldier Trying To Get Home On Leave. “say It With Flowers” Introduces Us To Mr. Sasaki, The Owner Of A Flower Shop, Who Hires Teruo, A Worker Upset That “old” Flowers Are Being Passed Off As Fresh. Unable To Get His Mind Wrapped Around How The Business Is Supposed To Operate, Teruo Winds Up Giving Flowers Away As A Final Gesture Before He’s Fired. In “the All-american Girl,” Two Brothers Extravagantly Admire Ayako Saito, A Young Woman Who Eventually Gets Married And Moves To Los Angeles, Though Their Admiration For Her Is In Direct Proportion To Their Fear Of Meeting Her And Breaking The Magical Spell Of Her Presence. Like Sherwood Anderson's, Many Of Mori’s Stories Don't Have A Beginning, Middle And End; They're Nostalgic Vignettes Of A Life That Has Now Passed Away. By Toshio Mori ; Introduction By William Saroyan ; New Introduction By Lawson Fusao Inada. Reprint. Originally Published: Caldwell, Idaho : Caxton Printers, 1949. Yokohama, California, Originally Released In 1949, Is The First Published Collection Of Short Stories By A Japanese American. Set In A Fictional Community, These Linked Stories Are Alive With The People, Gossip, Humor, And Legends Of Japanese America In The 1930s And 1940s. Introduction To The 2015 Edition / Xiaojing Zhou -- Standing On Seventh Street : An Introduction To The 1985 Edition / Lawson Fusao Inada -- Introduction To The Original Edition / William Saroyan. -- Tomorrow Is Coming, Children -- The Woman Who Makes Swell Donuts -- My Mother Stands On Her Head -- Toshio Mori -- The End Of The Line -- Say It With Flowers -- Akira Yano -- Lil' Yokohama -- The Finance Over At Doi's -- Three Japanese Mothers -- The All-american Girl -- The Chessmen -- Nodas In America -- The Eggs Of The World -- He Who Has The Laughing Face -- Slant-eyed Americans -- The Trees -- The Six Rows Of Pompons -- Business At Eleven -- The Brothers -- Tomorrow And Today. Toshio Mori ; With A New Introduction By Xiaojing Zhou ; Introduction To The Original Edition By William Saroyan ; Introduction To The 1985 Edition By Lawson Fusao Inada. Yokohama, California, originally released in 1949, is the first published collection of short stories by a Japanese American. Set in a fictional community, these linked stories are alive with the people, gossip, humor, and legends of Japanese America in the 1930s and 1940s. Replaces ISBN 9780295961675 "Yokahama, California", originally published in 1949, is the first published collection of short stories by a Japanese American. Set in the fictional community of Yokahama, California, Mori's work is alive with the people, gossip, humour, and legends of Japanese America in the late 1930s.