A new race is on among publishers see who can find the next Japanese/Korean ‘quiet lit’ sensation. The latest acquisition is by the UK’s Bonnier Books Manilla Press which has pre-empted Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda, translated by Emily Balistrieri.
The publisher says the novel, set in the Ginza district of Tokyo, concerns a charming, immaculately kept stationery that has all the pens, notebooks, paper, ink and accoutrements that a stationery lover could want. But it also offers something more. In the cosy environment of the shop, customers are invited to sit down and write away their troubles, unburdening their souls and healing their hearts.
Manilla Press describes the book as perfect for lovers of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (also Manilla Press) and Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Picador). It will be published in paperback original, e-book and audio on 7 November 2024.
Justine Taylor, managing editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Marina Penalva at Casanovas and Lynch, on behalf of Emily Books Agency. Rights have also been sold to Italy, Germany, France, Taiwan and Spain.
Kenji Ueda is a Japanese novelist known for blending fantasy with the charm of everyday life. Born in Tokyo in 1969, he made his debut as a writer in 2021 with Teppan (The Iron Griddle), the revised version of a work he wrote in 2019 for the first Japan Delicious Fiction Award. When he is not writing, he works as an executive at a major manufacturer of health and beauty products.
Taylor said: “I was utterly charmed and captivated by this brilliant novel. Stepping into the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop as a reader felt calming and comforting, the perfect antidote to today’s overstimulating world. It’s also a reminder that the act of writing is healing in itself, and through it we can solve problems, escape our routines and make connections.”
Penalva said: “Kenji Ueda’s novel has been picked up by some of the best editors in Europe, those who are often ahead of the game and have a great eye for bestsellers. It stands out above the rest as it deals with a deeper and universal longing for connection through words and letters, and recovering the lost art of handwriting, something that is very close to our hearts, while at the same time being hugely entertaining, immersive and escapist in the best sense of the word. I’m very excited to be working with Justine and Manilla Press following our amazing success together with Days at the Morisaki Bookshop.”
