Translating Yukio Mishima's, "The Frolic of the Beasts" - a talk by Andrew Clare

Andrew Clare is an acclaimed British translator and lawyer. After graduating in Japanese studies from the University of Sheffield he obtained a master’s degree in political science from Kobe University in Japan. Andrew has developed a successful career as a lawyer working in legal and financial companies in the UK and Japan. As a translator, he has translated several short stories and novels such as Pro Bono (2012) by Seicho Matsumoto and the Noma Prize-winning Toward Dusk and Other Stories (2011) by Junnosuke Yoshiyuki. Andrew is also an expert practitioner of Japanese archery and participated in the Kyudo World Championships in Tokyo in 2018.

In this lecture, Andrew will discuss the challenges of translating this work, whilst exploring Mishima’s writing style and particular issues involving the Japanese language. He will also position the book in the Mishima canon analysing the main themes and features of “The Frolic of the Beasts” in comparison with Mishima’s other work, commenting on its critical reception in Japan and abroad. Finally, through a comparison of the cover art in the US and UK editions, Andrew will examine marketing strategies for Japanese literature in translation.