Emma 🏳️‍🌈 | TheEmmaaEdit ⚔️🍥

Hello, my lovelies!

Who are some BSD authors you want to read?

I haven’t done a BSD author talk in a while but after reading Oda’s stories of Osaka Life I had to talk about him 🥹

I didn’t know what to expect but I was so surprised at how accessible and full of love his writing is for observation of people and telling their stories. He also includes Easter eggs to his own favourite things or places in Osaka and that made the stories come to life even more.

Not only is Oda’s writing style easy to read, his descriptions of Osaka are so visceral I was experiencing all aspects of a street in different seasons.

In Sweet Beans for Two the main character eats his own favourite curry rice at his preferred restaurant Jiyūken - I’ve put some modern pictures of it on the next few slides, it’s still there in Osaka and a place on our trip we hope to visit next year 🥹

I also loved how much food, curried rice, tempura, big cuts of fruit was referenced in all his books- he’s such a foodie 😂

City of Trees & State of the Times felt more from Oda’s own tales of his own life and I really loved those- City of Trees especially for how we covered a walk through his childhood & described streets that no longer exist post war, especially a little record shop 🥹

All in all this has been one of my favourite reads from a BSD author, Asagiri really captured his voice 🥹 Oda also mentions how much it’s important to him to refer to real places with his work, specific dates and names because he feels these are things you can put your trust in. And his most important detail in writing people is using the senses; with feeling.
Because depicting human struggles and emotions is what’s relatable and trustworthy to him and above all: real.

The translation is filled with so much love, if you see any Japanese fiction translated by Burton Watson - trust it. He spent so much time talking to people who knew Oda and understanding the Osaka dialect - he really put care into it 🥹

Highly recommend if you love Oda! Accessible, witty and real, he’s a must read!

#bungoustraydogs #bsdanime #bsdmanga #bsdoda #odasakunosuke #bsdodasaku #bungostraydogs #bsddazai #natsumesoseki #bsdauthors