The Fall of Language in the Age of English

The Fall of Language in the Age of English provocatively participates in current debates on world literature, translation, reading, and writing in the age of global English and the Internet, bringing forward a new and illuminating perspective on the translingual formation of national languages and the now endangered arc of modern literature. It is written from the viewpoint of a noted Japanese novelist as well as from a wider theoretical and historical perspective. -- Tomi Suzuki, Columbia University A dazzling rumination on the decline of local languages, most particularly Japanese, in a world overshadowed by English. Moving effortlessly between theory and personal reflection, Minae Mizumura's lament--linguistic and social in equal measure--is broadly informed, closely reasoned, and--in a manner that recalls her beloved Jane Austen--at once earnest and full of mischief. -- John Nathan, translator of Light and Dark: A Novel by Natsume Soseki A stirring call to consciousness about the role of language... For English speakers, the book presents an important opportunity to walk in someone else's shoes. Publishers Weekly The Fall of Language in the Age of English is--or at least can be--valuable to any literature-interested reader. Certainly, it is an interesting personal introduction to aspects of Japanese writing, and its transitions across recent centuries, as Japan's own position internationally has shifted. -- M. A. Orthofer The Complete Review A call to arms for everyone: for all non-native English speakers to embrace and champion literature in their own languages, and for English speakers to be that little less arrogant in their use of their mother tongue, which just happens to have become the world's universal language. -- Sophie Knight The Japan Times Mizumura traces how the myth of the national language, a pure upwelling of political character, coincided with the flowering of the nation-state--and, even more fascinatingly, of the novel itself... Language may be in the book's title, but Mizumura has really crafted a conservationist's plea for literature. -- Katy Waldman Slate Rigorous and wide-ranging... This book is a cracker. -- Peter Gordon Asian Review of Books An eye-opening call to consciousness about the role of language. Publishers Weekly Tip Sheet There is incredibly smart stuff in here... Mizumura's ability to weave together so many strands of history (lingual, academic, economic, geopolitical) paints a clear picture of the evolution of Japanese literature, with commentary on the rest of the globe being a pleasant byproduct. -- Graham Oliver The Rumpus [A] highly charged book. -- Eric Banks The Chronicle Of Higher Education Persuasive, elegantly written... [ The Fall of Language in the Age of English] is highly deserving of attention, from English and Japanese speakers alike, as well as from anyone concerned about literature's past and future. -- Rebecca Hussey The Quarterly Conversation