A review by lauren_elizabeth
The Crab Cannery Ship and Other Novels of Struggle by Takiji Kobayashi

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved reading this and wish it was more widely read and had a place on curricula in educational institutions! In wonderful translation by Željko Cipriš, Kobayashi Takiji’s stories vividly bring to life proletarian struggle and resistance amid brutal repression. Tortured and killed at the age of 29, his premature death is conjured in that 2 of the 3 “novels of struggle” were unfinished (I was particularly disappointed when Yasuko came to an abrupt end, as I was deeply absorbed.) I was inspired by how Marxism and real events in Japan were written into the fabric of the fiction; there was no clumsy or artificial propagandising to be found here. I was particularly struck by how Takiji often places the plight of women centre stage, while the three stories themselves centre on different situations, workplaces, and among different characters but function to provide a cohesive tapestry of the situation of the Japanese proletariat. I was especially impressed with the depiction of surveillance and torture, the repressive tactics of the bourgeoisie, the experience of radicalisation and growing theoretical literacy, and the shared struggle and drawing from it the strength to continue in the face of impossible odds. While dark in many places, I also found this incredibly uplifting, too.