praise for STAR
(New Directions, 2019)
Winner of the 2019-2020 Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize
Longlisted for the 2020 Believer Book Award
“Superbly translated…unlike any other work by the great and complex writer.”
—Patti Smith
“Pitch-perfect.”
—WSJ Magazine, “The 12 Best Books of Spring”
“Adroit.”
—Damian Flanagan, The Times Literary Supplement
“Feisty.”
—The Japan Times
“Nimble.”
—Publishers Weekly
"Star is a sleek dalliance with the pitfalls of celebrity, and the translation captures a kinesthetic sense of prose.”
—Shelf Awareness
“This little novella gives a bang-filled rush, reflecting on the empty deceit of fame and the psychology of celebrity. Once you’re on top of the world, can you ever escape it?”
—United Library Services
SAM BETT holds a B.A. with highest honors in Japanese and English from UMass Amherst. In March 2016, he was awarded Grand Prize by the Japanese Government in the 2nd JLPP International Translation Competition. With David Boyd, he is a translator of Breasts and Eggs and Heaven by Mieko Kawakami.
