{"product_id":"spark-isbn-9781805332251","title":"Spark","description":"\u003cb\u003eHilarious, strange, and moving in equal measure—a Japanese multi-million-copy smash hit about the struggles of a young \u003ci\u003emanzai\u003c\/i\u003e duo of stand-up comedians\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerfect for readers of strange, funny Japanese fiction, from Sayaka Murata’s \u003ci\u003eConvenience Store Woman\u003c\/i\u003e to Emi Yagi’s \u003ci\u003eDiary of a Void\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A whip-smart tale that'll prove impossible to put down” – \u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTokunaga is a young comedian struggling to make a name for himself. He meets the older Kamiya, who is either a crazy genius or perhaps just crazy, and who agrees to take Tokunaga under his wing if he writes his biography. Kamiya's indestructible confidence inspires Tokunaga, but it also makes him doubt not just the limits of his own talent, but his dedication to \u003ci\u003emanzai\u003c\/i\u003e comedy—a Japanese form of comedy involving a duo, one partner playing a more serious character, the other playing the fool.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA novel about comedy that's as moving and thoughtful as it is funny, and written by an author who himself found fame as one half of a \u003ci\u003emanzai \u003c\/i\u003ecomedy duo, \u003ci\u003eSpark\u003c\/i\u003e is already a sensation in Japan, where it won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, has sold more than 3 million copies, has been adapted for manga, stage, film, and a hit Netflix show, which is available now in the US.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOffering a hilarious and poignant look at the unique world of Japanese\u003ci\u003e manzai\u003c\/i\u003e comedy, \u003ci\u003eSpark\u003c\/i\u003e is also a story about art and friendship, about countless bizarre drunken conversations, and about how far it's acceptable to go for a laugh.'A whip-smart tale that'll prove impossible to put down' Vogue\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Edgy... the familiar story of the apprentice surpassing his master' \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Excels as a comedy of the absurd... a Japanese \u003ci\u003eWithnail and I\u003c\/i\u003e... Immensely satisfying' \u003ci\u003eJapan Society\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The seedy side of Tokyo is summoned up in tale about a comedy duo and the awkward bonds of men... \u003ci\u003eSpark\u003c\/i\u003e does the city credit' \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Irresistible. A painfully sensitive rendering of the reality for young manzai comedians... The writing is wonderful' Akio Nakamori\u003cb\u003eNaoki Matayoshi\u003c\/b\u003e is a Japanese \u003ci\u003emanzai\u003c\/i\u003e comedian and author, who found fame performing as part of the popular comic duo Peace. \u003ci\u003eSpark\u003c\/i\u003e is his first novel and has been hugely successful in Japan since it was first published in 2016. It has won the Akutagawa Prize and was adapted for film, stage and TV - the hit series is available on Netflix US.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlison Watts\u003c\/b\u003e is an Australian-born freelance literary translator and longtime resident of Japan who has translated novels by Durian Sukegawa, Naoki Matayoshi, Riku Onda and Shusei Hase.THE PIERCING TRILL of bamboo flutes soared over the\u003cbr\u003e beat of the drums, and as the heat of the midday sun\u003cbr\u003e dissipated into the evening air, the festive crowd, in\u003cbr\u003e cotton kimonos and geta, streamed along the road by\u003cbr\u003e the bay of Atami.\u003cbr\u003e Yamashita and I—two halves of a \u003ci\u003emanzai \u003c\/i\u003estand-up\u003cbr\u003e comedy duo—were on a tiny makeshift stage, going\u003cbr\u003e through our routine. We were supposed to be entertaining\u003cbr\u003e the crowds on their way to the fireworks, but\u003cbr\u003e the microphone set-up got in the way of the quickdraw\u003cbr\u003e banter, forcing us to take turns and bring our\u003cbr\u003e faces so close to the mic we looked like we were about\u003cbr\u003e to cram it into our mouths. No one really cared—our\u003cbr\u003e so-called audience kept walking by, barely noticing\u003cbr\u003e us, their laughter for sure not having anything to do\u003cbr\u003e with us. It was depressing. And it didn’t help that the\u003cbr\u003e music was so loud we couldn’t be heard from more\u003cbr\u003e than a few metres away, which meant we had to say\u003cbr\u003e something hilarious every three seconds or end up\u003cbr\u003e looking like a couple of dopes just standing there. Not\u003cbr\u003e much we could do under those conditions, so reluctantly\u003cbr\u003e we were just sort of going through our paces,\u003cbr\u003e using up our time.\u003cbr\u003e I can’t remember the gags we tried that day, but\u003cbr\u003e Yamashita started off with something like: “What kind\u003cbr\u003e of thing would you hate to hear your parakeet say?” and\u003cbr\u003e I responded, “Be sure to make your pension contributions\u003cbr\u003e regularly, however small, it’s all about accumulation.”\u003cbr\u003e Then I came up with a list of things that your\u003cbr\u003e average parakeet would \u003ci\u003enot \u003c\/i\u003ebe likely to say, like: “You\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003estill \u003c\/i\u003ehaven’t done anything about that wasted space\u003cbr\u003e in our apartment,” “We need to have a serious talk,”\u003cbr\u003e “What’s with all the strange looks—you’re not thinking\u003cbr\u003e of eating me, are you?” and “Can we discuss fully what’s\u003cbr\u003e troubling you?” Yamashita responded to each with a\u003cbr\u003e grunt or a quip, but for some reason he thought “Can\u003cbr\u003e we discuss fully what’s troubling you?” was hysterical\u003cbr\u003e and he couldn’t stop laughing. He laughed so hard he\u003cbr\u003e was gulping for air. His laughter saved me. Gave me a\u003cbr\u003e moment to picture myself coming home, feeling good\u003cbr\u003e about the day, and the parakeet saying, “Can we discuss\u003cbr\u003e fully what’s troubling you?” And I’d say, “Yes, but first,\u003cbr\u003e I’m going to take my lighter and singe your pretty little\u003cbr\u003e wings.” Oh, maybe that would be cruel. Better if I just\u003cbr\u003e singed the hair on my arm and scared the bejeezus out of\u003cbr\u003e the parakeet. Blow the parakeet’s tiny mind! This made\u003cbr\u003e me snigger. Truth is, if a parakeet, or anybody else for\u003cbr\u003e that matter, had asked me “Can we discuss fully what’s\u003cbr\u003e troubling you?”, right then and there onstage I would\u003cbr\u003e have broken down in tears. I felt alienated, it was that\u003cbr\u003e lonely, standing there trying to make funny in front of\u003cbr\u003e a crowd that didn’t care if you existed or not. Suddenly,\u003cbr\u003e there was a \u003ci\u003eBOOM\u003c\/i\u003e, and a burst of explosions behind\u003cbr\u003e us, coming from the direction of the sea and echoing\u003cbr\u003e off the mountains.\u003cbr\u003e The crowd stopped in their tracks and looked up,\u003cbr\u003e their faces reflecting red, blue and green. I spun around\u003cbr\u003e to see a carpet of lights roll out like a vision in the\u003cbr\u003e night sky, then slowly dissolve in a shower of glitter.\u003cbr\u003e Before the spontaneous cheering had died away,\u003cbr\u003e another firework unfolded in the shape of a gigantic\u003cbr\u003e weeping willow, dangling its glowing branches in the\u003cbr\u003e darkness. Smaller fireworks spiralled around feverishly,\u003cbr\u003e lighting up the night as they fell into the sea.\u003cbr\u003e The crowd roared. These fireworks were more beautiful\u003cbr\u003e and magnificent than anything else man-made\u003cbr\u003e in this city where the surrounding mountains and\u003cbr\u003e sea made nature feel close. It was a perfect setting. I\u003cbr\u003e wondered now why we’d even been invited here. We\u003cbr\u003e weren’t really needed.","brand":"Pushkin Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233570336997,"sku":"NP9781805332251","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781805332251.jpg?v=1767737038","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/spark-isbn-9781805332251","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}