Ranked #1 in 'This Horror is Amazing!' (2024 Edition, Domestic Category)! Masakuni Oda's 'Wazawai' (Calamity) to be released in Shincho Bunko on March 30th.

A short story collection, 'Wazawai' (Calamity), by Masakuni Oda, who won both the Eiji Yoshikawa Prize for New Writers and the Japan SF Award for 'Zangetsuki.' What are the uncharted territories of weird fiction that this one-of-a-kind genius is challenging?

Masakuni Oda debuted in 2009 after winning the Japan Fantasy Novel Award for 'Zoudai-ha ni Tsugu.' In 2013, his work 'Hon ni Datte O to Mesu ga Arimasu' took first place in the domestic category of the Twitter Literature Awards. In 2022, he won the Eiji Yoshikawa Prize for New Writers for 'Zangetsuki,' followed by the Japan SF Award the next year. 'Wazawai' is his fourth standalone book and took first place in the domestic category of 'This Horror is Amazing! 2024.' Though he is not a prolific writer, every one of his works is a masterpiece and highly acclaimed. The commentary by Nozomi Omori included at the end of the paperback edition begins as follows:

"Honestly, there is a limit to how unprolific one can be.

Most Masakuni Oda fans are likely muttering this with a sigh. His debut work, 'Zoudai-ha ni Tsugu,' which won the Japan Fantasy Novel Award, was published in November 2009. Even though more than sixteen years have passed since then, he has only published four standalone books. That is simply too few, no matter how you look at it. As one of the top-tier visionaries among active Japanese writers and a fantasist who boasts overwhelming literary prowess, it wouldn't hurt for him to make a little more effort to let the world know of his talent.

...Despite the fact that he releases so few books that one feels like complaining, the fact that Masakuni Oda's name is never forgotten, continues to be read enthusiastically, and wins some kind of award every time a new book is released, perhaps suggests that the Japanese publishing world isn't a lost cause just yet." (From the commentary in 'Wazawai')

'Wazawai' is a collection of weird fiction where each story is themed around a part of the human body.

In "Shokusho" (Book-Eating), it is the mouth; in "Mimi-moguri" (Ear-Diving), the ear; in "Moshokuki" (Record of Mourning Colors), the eye; in "Yawaraka na Tokoro e Kaeru" (Returning to a Soft Place), the flesh (fat); in "Nojo" (Farm), the nose; in "Kamiwazawai" (Hair Calamity), hair; and in "Rafu to Rafu" (Nude Woman and Nude Man), the skin. Astonishing, bizarre ideas are born from these human body parts, inviting readers into worlds yet unseen.

Beyond being scary and terrifying, these stories follow characters who have veered off the path of life and have nowhere left to go as they depart for new worlds. It is a shuddering terror, but also an ecstasy. It is a work of weird fiction with terrifying depth.

This work tied for first place in the domestic category of 'This Horror is Amazing! 2024' (Takarajimasha) alongside 'Kinki Chiho no Aru Basho ni Tsuite' (About a Certain Place in the Kinki Region) by Bekkusu. We invite you to visit the uncharted territory of weird fiction.

Book Content Introduction "Once you eat one page, there's no turning back, you know." The narrator, a novelist, witnesses a woman devouring the pages of a book in an unlocked multi-purpose restroom. As if to challenge the woman's warning, the narrator picks up a book from their collection... ("Shokusho"). One hundred thousand yen for two days and one night. The narrator, a 33-year-old unemployed person, takes on a suspicious job. It is a religious ritual where speaking of what happens is strictly forbidden, and only women with long black hair have gathered there ("Kamiwazawai"). Seven stories that delve to the extreme into the terror and ecstasy of deviating from one's life.

Author Profile: Masakuni Oda Born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1974. Graduated from the Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science at Kansai University. Debuted as a writer in 2009 after winning the 21st Japan Fantasy Novel Award for 'Zoudai-ha ni Tsugu.' In 2013, his first work after winning the award, 'Hon ni Datte O to Mesu ga Arimasu,' took first place in the domestic category of the 3rd Twitter Literature Awards. In 2021, he published 'Zangetsuki,' his first standalone book in nine years, which won both the 43rd Eiji Yoshikawa Prize for New Writers and the 43rd Japan SF Award.

Book Data [Title] Wazawai [Author] Masakuni Oda [Release Date] March 30, 2026 [Format] Paperback, E-book [Price] 880 yen (tax included) [ISBN] 978-4-10-120022-4 [URL] https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/book/120022/