An irresistible mix of imagination, satire, and humor, these stories by acclaimed Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui imagine the consequences of a world where the fantastic and the mundane collide. The opening story, “The Dabba Dabba Tree,” details the hilarious side effects of a small conical tree that, when placed at the foot of one's bed, creates erotic dreams. In “Commuter Army,” a sly commentary on the ludicrousness of war, a weapons supplier becomes an unwilling conscript in a war zone. “The World is Tilting” imagines a floating city that slowly begins to sink on one side, causing its citizens to reorient their daily lives to preserve a semblance of normality. And in the title story, we see how obscenely absurd the environment on Planet Porno appears to a group of scientists. The stories in Salmonella Men on Planet Porno winningly combine madcap hilarity and a sharp eye toward the insanities of contemporary life.

Salmonella Men on Planet Porno : and other stories

Poruno wakusei no sarumonera ningen

Yasutaka Tsutsui,Andrew Driver(Translated)

Andrew Driver(Translated) Yasutaka Tsutsui

Tsutsui, Yasutaka, 1934-

Golden Books Publishing Company, Incorporated

Random House, Incorporated

Alma Books Ltd

Richmond: Alma

Vintage Books

Herla

1st Vintage Contemporaries ed, New York, 2010, 2008

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

United States, United States of America

1st American ed, New York, 2010, ©2006

Richmond, England, 2006

First Edition, 2010

January 12, 2010

Richmond, 2008

Aug 24, 2008

Translated from the Japanese.

<p><p>this Collection Of Marvelously Off-kilter Short Stories &#8211; The American Debut Of Acclaimed Japanese Writer Yasutaka Tsutsui &#8211; Portrays The Consequences Of A World Where The Fantastic And The Mundane Collide And Throw The Lives Of Ordinary Men And Women Into Disarray.<p>in &#8220;the Dabba Dabba Tree&#8221; Tsutsui Describes The Hilarious Side Effects Of A Small Conical Tree That, When Placed At The Foot Of One&#8217;s Bed, Creates Erotic Dreams That Metamorphose Into Communal Farce. In &#8220;commuter Army&#8221;&#8211;a Sly Commentary On The Ludicrousness Of War&#8211;a Weapons Supplier Whose Rifles Cease Functioning After Just One Shot Becomes An Unwilling Conscript In A War Zone. &#8220;the World Is Tilting&#8221; Imagines A Floating City That Slowly Begins To Sink On One Side, Causing Its Citizens To Reorient Their Daily Lives To Preserve A Semblance Of Normality. In &#8220;rumors About Me&#8221;, An Ordinary Office Worker Finds Himself The Subject Of Intense Media Scrutiny, His Every Action Documented In The Tabloids. And In The Title Story, We Learn Just How Obscenely Absurd The Environment On Planet Porno Can Seem To A Group Of Hapless Research Scientists.<p>with A Sharp Eye Towards The Insanities Of Contemporary Life, Yasutaka Tsutsui Crafts In <i>salmonella Men On Planet Porno </i>an Irresistible Mix Of Imagination, Satiric Fantasy, And Truly Madcap Hilarity.</p><h3>publishers Weekly</h3><p><p>in This Collection, His American Debut, Tsutsui-recipient Of A Chevalier Des Arts Et Des Lettres-amplifies The Absurdities Of Contemporary Life To Usually Entertaining Results. In The Dabba Dabba Tree, The Erotic Dreams Caused By A Phallus-shaped Plant Create Havoc, As Sleeping And Waking Life Are Confused For Both Dreamers And Nondreamers Alike. In Rumours About Me, A Dull Office Drone Becomes An Unwilling Celebrity, His Every Action Recounted In Breathless Detail By The Media. Other Stories Are Less Lighthearted, Such As Commuter Army, Featuring A Weapons Supplier In The Thick Of A Foreign War, And Hello, Hello, Hello! In Which A Household Economy Consultant Cheerfully Insinuates Himself Into A Couple's Life And Leaches Every Small Happiness From Them. Tsutsui Is Less Interested In His Characters Than In Teasing His Ideas Out As Far As Possible. While This Technique Has Its Cerebral Pleasures And His Writing Can Be Humorous, The Application Of His One-size-fits-all Narrative Mold Grows Tiresome. <i>(nov.)</i></p>copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, A Division Of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.</p>

"This collection of off-kilter short stories - the American debut of acclaimed Japanese writer Yasutaka Tsutsui - portrays the consequences of a world where the fantastic and the mundane collide and throw the lives of ordinary men and women into disarray." "In "The Dabba Dabba Tree," Tsutsui describes the hilarious side effects of a small conical tree that. when placed at the foot of one's bed, creates erotic dreams that metamorphose into communal farce. In "Commuter Army" - a sly commentary on the ludicrousness of war - a weapons supplier whose rifles cease functioning after just one shot becomes an unwilling conscript in a war zone. "The World Is Tilting" imagines a floating city that slowly begins to sink on one side, causing its citizens to reorient their daily lives to preserve a semblance of normality. In "Rumors About Me," an ordinary office worker finds himself the subject of intense media scrutiny, his every action documented in the tabloids. And in the title story, we learn just how obscenely absurd the environment on Planet Porno can seem to a group of hapless research scientists."--BOOK JACKET

The folly of human desire is a central theme of the author's stories. Most of his characters suffer awful fates as a result of their own foolishness, which usually takes the form of greed, desire or vanity. As such, we could posit the author as a "Commentator on the Absurdity of Desire".

A collection of offbeat short stories from an acclaimed Japanese author explores the folly of human desire in a world in which the fantastic and the mundane collide to throw the lives of ordinary men and women into disarray

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This translation originally published: 2006

2023-06-28