Nōmin [農民], or The Peasants. An Outline of the Issues Concerning the Japanese Edition of Władysław S. Reymont’s Novel (Tokyo, 1925–1926)

Abstract

The article outlines the issues related to the Japanese edition of Władysław Reymont’s novel The Peasants, published in 1925 (volumes Autumn and Winter) and 1926 (volumes Spring and Summer) by the Tokyo-based Shunjusha Publishing House. The primary aim of this study is to reconstruct the origins of the translation, prepared by the Japanese author Asadori Katō in collaboration with the Polish author Stefan Łubieński, as well as to outline the work’s reception in Japan. The source material for this article includes the prefaces to the Japanese edition of the novel Chłopi [En. The Peasants] (Nōmin – 農民) translated into Polish, Władysław Reymont’s correspondence from the Witold Kotowski Archive, and press materials. The article also discusses the publishing characteristics of the translation, which, on the centenary of its creation (as well as on the centenary of Reymont’s death in 2025), remains a little-known, difficult-to-access, and undeveloped publication.