This thesis represents a partial translation of the short story collection Omedetō by Kawakami Hiromi. Published in 2000, the collection contains twelve short stories, each narrating an intimate relationship between two people. It was favorably received by the literary world and was republished twice, in 2003 and 2007. My critical introduction provides context to Omedetō by discussing Kawakami’s biography and writing style, and the book’s reception in Japan. I also make note of my translation methods, domestication and dynamic equivalence, and provide examples of how I translated onomatopoeia. Finally, I give historical background to Japanese intimacy at the turn of the millennium and argue that each story serves as a commentary on Japanese modern intimacy, which Kawakami defines as a combination of physical and emotional closeness or a yearning for such.

This report includes my translation of the short story “Tread on a Snake” (Hebi o Fumu) by Kawakami Hiromi, which is presented here as a significant contribution to modern Japanese literature in translation. The story received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1996, although support for it was not unanimous as seen in my translation of the judges’ comments offered here as well. Following the translation of the story itself is an essay that discusses my personal experiences translating the story. I discuss elements that may be unique to the experience of translating Kawakami’s works, but also many that are applicable more broadly to issues of translation that go beyond her works and even Japanese literature as well. Challenges included maintaining the author’s tone and voice, the appropriate use of notes to provide cultural background, and the deliberate use of non-translated terms in a translation. / text

This master's thesis focuses on the issue of food in some selected works by Kawakami Hiromi (born 1958). At first, it attempts to express some characteristic features of modern Japanese cuisine in general, which are closely connected to the creation of the concept of national identity, and to give a summary of works of modern and contemporary Japanese literature in which the topic of food is present. Next, it describes the work of Kawakami Hiromi. After introducing the author's main masterpieces and its typical features, it comes to the interpretation of the selected texts which were published within 1998 and 2010. It interprets the works mainly from the thematic point of view and it attempts to determine connections in which the issue and motifs of food appear. It also studies what role is played by food, eating or cooking in Kawakami's work. In selected translated passages it makes an effort to give evidence of certain elements in her work such as: food as means of befriendment, motif of a skilled male cook, inability to cook, which leads to a conflict in a relationship etc. It compares works in which often appear lonely women protagonists longing for love and in which the real world meets the supernatural or the traditional elements meet the modern ones. In order to point out other connections...