japanese literature in english is a searchable database that compiles all literary works translated from japanese to english and available in the united states (with some exceptions). entries are still being added, the site is still in the process of being updated, and suggestions for inclusion are welcome. please use the contact page.
my name is allison markin powell. i’m a literary translator and editor and publishing consultant who has worked in the publishing industry for many years. i translate fiction, nonfiction, biography, memoir, essays, and manga. i have been awarded grants from the NEA and english PEN, and the 2020 PEN translation prize for my translation of the ten loves of nishino by hiromi kawakami. i served as cochair of the PEN america translation committee and currently represent the translation committee on PEN’s board of trustees. with esther allen, i was the co-host and co-organizer of the online conference, translating the future. i was the guest editor for words without borders’ first japan issue. i am a founding member of the translation collectives, cedilla & co. and strong women, soft power (SWSP). i helped curate the literary translation clinics with the center for fiction and the JFNY author/translator literary series.
here is a list of most of my other published translations:
by ryunosuke akutagawa
by shiori ito
by hiromi kawakami
strange weather in tokyo, shortlisted for the 2014 independent foreign fiction prize and originally published in the US as the briefcase, shortlisted for the 2012 man asian literary prize
parade, longlisted for the 2020 best translated book award
by kaoru takamura
lady joker, volume two, longlisted for the 2023 CWA daggers award
by osamu dazai
no longer human, illustrated by usamaru furuya
by fuminori nakamura
by shunmyo masuno