PolandAdrianna Wosińska
KIRIN Publishing House

There Is Much to Discover in Japanese Literature

Adrianna Wosińska
Owner

Cultivating a Stronger Presence for Japanese Culture in Poland

Over its more than 14-year history, Polish publishing house KIRIN has released more than 60 books of fiction and nonfiction from Japan. Its catalog is home to a host of works in translation by popular Japanese authors, including Tonari no onna (The Woman Next Door) by Mukoda Kuniko, Ayashi by Miyabe Miyuki, Go by Kaneshiro Kazuki, Riku to shiro no ōkoku (Riku and the Kingdom of White) by Randy Taguchi, and Hanaoka Seishu no tsuma (The Doctor’s Wife) by Ariyoshi Sawako. KIRIN produces Torii, a quarterly magazine with 61 issues to date devoted to Japanese culture, and works to elevate the presence and visibility of Japanese culture in Poland in other ways, such as by hosting academic conferences on related topics and sponsoring events like “Japan Day” in Bydgoszcz.

KIRIN owner Adrianna Wosińska supervises the entire translation process from the selection of titles to editing, proofreading, and publishing, while also managing KIRIN’s team of translators, graphic designers, and editors. She translates literature from English to Polish herself, and has authored two books: Japanese Dolls: Now and Then and Traditional Japanese Toys. Wosińska’s participation in our program marked her fifth trip to Japan— clearly she is a connoisseur of Japanese culture.

Wosińska has released an extensive string of works from Japan through KIRIN, but the process has not been without its struggles. Even when she managed to identify the contact point for securing rights—an initial step that can be quite a challenge on its own—replies have sometimes been slow to come, if they come at all. “I had a feeling that we don’t receive the same level of trust as do publishing houses in the major-language countries,” she explains, noting the frustration she felt before joining the program. “So, in Japan, I wanted to explore publishing houses and literary agencies to observe their operations and establish relationships with people with whom I can keep in touch. I knew that studying the book market in Japan would help me to get a better understanding of the differences in publishing between Europe and Japan, too.

Image of the cover — *Japanese Dolls: Now and Then* by Adrianna Wosińska

Connecting Directly with People in the Japanese Publishing and Cultural Spheres

Not only were the 11 program (Central and Eastern European Editors’ Visit) participants all from different countries, but they also represented publishers of many different sizes and had a wide range of past experiences publishing Japanese literature in translation. Despite the diversity of their backgrounds, Wosińska says that each and every one of them received a great deal from their involvement. “All of us kept talking, asking questions, and exchanging our experiences—both with the lecturers and within our groups,” she recalls. “Consequently, the lectures provided us not only with a theoretical knowledge, but also with practical information and the views of fellow editors.” Another takeaway for Wosińska was the abundance of information she was able to gather on leading figures in Japan’s literary scene.

Wosińska was also thrilled to learn about how Japanese literary agencies operate and how people go about promoting titles in Japan, insights that went above and beyond her initial expectations. What she found most interesting were the differences between Japan and Poland in agencies’ approaches to their work. “I learned that in Japan, agencies tend to represent titles rather than authors,” she says. “This knowledge will enable me to look for and reach out to translation publishers more efficiently.”

The meetup with Japanese publishers, followed by a cocktail party, was yet another highlight of the program for Wosińska: “It was a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with publishers, editors, literary agencies, translators, and other people associated with the publishing industry and culture in Japan. Our publishing house had already established some contacts prior to the program, but this gave me a chance to make new connections and strengthen the bonds with our Japanese partners.”

At Kinkakuji in Kyoto

Turning Connections into Projects, and Projects into Titles

Back in Poland, Wosińska received emails and catalogs from all the publishers and agencies she met in Japan. “In many cases, they took into consideration the exact themes and genres or even titles that we are interested in, providing us carefully selected offers,” she says. “Many of the titles are not widely known in Europe, as they lack English or any other Western translation.” Evidently, the network Wosińska started to piece together in Japan is already connecting the company with new projects.

Before her trip to Japan, Wosińska had been eyeing some Japanese titles for possible publication. Thanks to the experiences she enjoyed over the course of the program, that list has now grown longer. “We are looking forward to introducing new authors to our market,” she says, with visible anticipation, “as we believe there is still much to discover in Japanese literature.”

The pages of Torii always teem with special features on Japan. In issue no. 61 readers will be delighted to find some extra-special content: Wosińska’s report on her trip to Japan, illustrated with stunning photos from her stay.

Photo of Torii — *Torii*, a quarterly magazine devoted to Japanese culture.
Issue no. 61 features a report by Wosińska on her trip to Japan.

PolandAdrianna Wosińska KIRIN Publishing House

There Is Much to Discover in Japanese Literature

Cultivating a Stronger Presence for Japanese Culture in Poland

Connecting Directly with People in the Japanese Publishing and Cultural Spheres

Turning Connections into Projects, and Projects into Titles

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PolandAdrianna Wosińska
KIRIN Publishing House