Red Circle Minis on display at Kinokuniya’s Sydney bookstore in Australia. Photo: KinokuniyaKinokuniya’s initial stock order arrived in December shortly after publication and, according to the local Kinokuniya team, have been selling well with only one copy of each book left. A new stock order is being placed, which will ensure continued availability.
Kinokuniya is supporting Red Circle’s international rollout and promotion of its newly launched publishing programme, which was initiated in November last year with the publication of the first three titles in its Red Circle Minis series: Stand-in Companion by Kazufumi Shiraishi; Backlight by Kanji Hanawa; and Tokyo Performance by Roger Pulvers.
Kinokuniya is the largest bookstore chain in Japan with over 80 stores worldwide. It opened its first bookstore outside Japan in San Francisco in 1969 and its first bookshop in Australia in 1996. The chain now has a presence in many locations including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
About Red Circle:Red Circle Authors Limited is a specialist publishing and communications company that conducts bespoke projects on behalf of a carefully selected and curated group of leading Japanese authors. Red Circle showcases Japan’s best creative writing. For more information on Red Circle, Japanese literature, and Red Circle authors please visit: www.redcircleauthors.com.-
About Kanji Hanawa:Kanji Hanawa, a former professor of French literature is a master of the shorty story. He wrote hundreds and dedicated his life to writing short stories and novella about life in ancient, modern and contemporary Japan. Two of his short stories have been shortlisted for the prestigious Akutagawa Literary Prize. Hanawa’s tales reflect a deep interest in human psychology and complex relationships – whose narratives expose the pressures and challenges of life in Japan.- About Kazufumi Shiraishi:Kazufumi Shiraishi had a successful career, spanning two decades, as a journalists working for one of Japan's highest profile monthly magazines, Bungeishinju, before following in the steps of his father and twin brother becoming a full time author. He is a deeply thoughtful author who writes about love, life and the human condition and is unique in being the only Japanese author to follow in his father’s footsteps by winning the same major Japanese literary prize.
- About Roger Pulvers:Roger Pulvers is an author, playwright, theatre director, and translator. He has published more than 50 books in Japanese and English, including novels, essays, plays, and poetry. Helping make Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, and befriending David Bowie brought him back to Japan and inspired him to become the award-winning and prolific author, playwright, film director he is today. His recent novel, Hoshizuna Monogatari (Star Sand), which he wrote in Japanese, was published by Kodansha, Japan’s largest publisher, in 2015 and subsequently in English and French in 2016 and 2017 respectively. It was released as a film, directed by him, in 2017.
