Original title:
図書館のお夜食
Original language:
Japanese
Publication info:
Poplar
21 June 2023
321 pages in Japanese
Genre:
Upmarket fiction
Rights handled by New River:
Foreign rights excl. Asia
Rights sold:
Russia (Sindbad)
France (Leduc)
NA (Hanover Sq Press)
Korea (RH Korea)
Taiwan Options in Italy
Netherlands
UK
Dinner at the Night Library
by Hika Harada
A charming literary mystery from one of Japan’s bestselling authors.
Dinner at the Night Library tells the story of a library with a difference on the outskirts of Tokyo. Housing books from the collections of deceased authors, it opens only at night and is staffed by former librarians and others from different sectors of the book industry, who all share a dedication to books but have been damaged by experiences in previous workplaces. We follow their stories as they work at the mysterious library, where they are also served in-house makanai meals based on food appearing in real books.
Filled with quirky characters steeped in Japanese literary history and culture, Hika Harada’s new book is emblematic of the challenges facing the book world today, but it is ultimately a paean to reading and the relevance of books and literary culture through the ages—past, present, and future.
About the author
Hika Harada (1970-) was born in Kanagawa Prefecture. She received the Subaru Literary Prize for The Teatime That Never Comes and her other works include How to Use 3000 Yen, Three Sisters Bistro, Why the Parcel From my Mum is so Lame, and The Secondhand Bookstore Diner. She is one of Japan’s bestselling authors.