Fictional Stories of Anastasia, in Japan

[RealAnastasia]

Thank you, Aya-Anya! I would like very much this new topic.  

RealAnastasia

[Margarita Markovna]

A new nonficton novel being published right before the release of the movie

(from translation)


Nonfiction novel??

[RealAnastasia]

Wow! This is really amazing, Aya-Anya! People knows much more American and French fiction about Anastasia, that it's a pity! I like much more Japanese fictions, and I'm sad for I'm not able to read Japanese language....

I think I can explain with happened with this first Romanova, mistook as  Tatiana Nicholaievna. "Romanov" is a very common last name in Russia, and this 37 years-old woman having a husband and a 7 years old little son had only said that she was "Mrs. Romanova", but she never said she was Tatiana, the "Tsar Daughter"...Kind of confussion, but it was an understable one.

There was almost a paranoia of people looking for Romanov survivors in those times, and whispers are always strongest than truth... :-/

RealAnastasia.

[aya-anya]

(from translation)


Nonfiction novel??

Yes. The publisher of the book defines it as nonfiction novel however, in my opinion, it's the autobiographical book, and I think the author of the book just took ideas (stole, in my personal opinion) from James. B. Lovell's one (Japanese translation version of Lovell's one was published in 1992). Funny, most of writers/reviewers in Japan have been greatly influenced by James B. Lovell's book.  It's a great problem in Japanese "translation" of the stories of Anastasia and AA. I strongly hope, somebody should publish the translation versions of Peter Kurth's one and John Klier/Helen Mingay's one and some books as many as possible.

By the way, the author of The True Story of Anastasia wrote a short essay or something like that about AA in his other book before he published this book. I'll borrow it from the library and post the review of the other version when I finish reading it.

[aya-anya]

Here is the list of Japanese Fictional Stories Based on the Legend of Anastasia. Hope you'll find that Japan is interested in the story of Anastasia...

[In the order of Published Year, The Name of Author, Novel/Short Story, The title of the Work]

1919  Kikuchi Kan.  Short Story, Tatiana Hime [Grand Duchess Tatiana]

1928  Yumeno Kyusaku.  Short Story, Shigo no koi [The Love after Death]

1989  Yoko Yamazaki.  Novel, Yokohama Hisoku Carta [The Game with the Color, Grey-Blue in Yokohama]

1991  Yutaka Maya. Novel, Tsubasa aru yami [The Darkness with Wings]

1994  Reito Nikaido. Novel, Akuryo no yakata [The House of Devils]

1999  Yoko Yamazaki.  Short Story, Anastasia: the Princess in the Dark in the book The Beautiful Women in Legends with Illusions

2000, February Yoko Ogawa.  Short Story, Sosei [The Resurrection] in the book The Accidental Happiness

2000,  October  Takashi Atoda. Short Story, Shiroi-kani [The White Crab]

2000,  November   Nobuhito Takanuki. Novel, The Mysterious History in Russian Empire: The Crest of Double Eagle

2001  Soji Shimada. Novel, Russia Yurei Gunkan Jiken [The Russian Phantom Warship Case]

2002  Yoko Ogawa. Novel, Kifujin A no sosei [The Resurrection of Lady A]

The synopsis and reviews of them will come soon…There are also some works related to the story of Russian Imperial family.

aya-anya

[RealAnastasia]

How an amazing list! I'm wondering what Anastasia would feel if she knew how people remember her in Japan...Here in Argentina, we only had a theater piece, named " Anastasia at Night" performed by Nacha Guevara, a red-haired actress of us in the 1970's (I couldn't see it since I had only three or four years old  ) and the TV especial "Anastasia of Russia" performed by the actress Andrea del Boca, who in those times, were almost a twin sister of Anna Anderson. But we had not "Anastasia's comics" or fictional writen works as historical novels and such even if we have excellent writers and a lot of comic autors... :-/

RealAnastasia.

[aya-anya]

Hi. I borrowed the book written by the author of The True Story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia from the library and here's what I have found through the book, entitled The Record of My personal Encounters with Soldiers and Celebrities published in 1988: (that means he had been interested in the legend of Anastasia/the case of Anna Anderson ever since 1980s.)

When the author of this book saw Anna Anderson in December in 1983 (1982? the author of this book writes it was 1982) she looked nervous because it was slightly after the kidnap-incident (Jack Manahan took her from the hospital in November). The author of this book, Hisayoshi Tsuge could visit her through a certified public accountant who frequently checked with the hospital where Anna Anderson was at that time.

Here's the excerpt from his conversation with Anna Anderson (The original is in Japanese so I am not sure if my translation is definitely correct)

(From p. 274)
Tsuge: You've been talking in English for decades--it's been more than 50 years since you moved to here [the USA] right?

Anna Anderson: 55 years, I guess. I've been talking in English but back in Russia, in fact I talked with my family in English, because, you know, my mother lived in Britain [in her young days].

Through the conversations with Anna Anderson, he came to be convinced that she was real.

aya-anya

[etonexile]

Hi. I borrowed the book written by the author of The True Story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia from the library and here's what I have found through the book, entitled The Record of My personal Encounters with Soldiers and Celebrities published in 1988: (that means he had been interested in the legend of Anastasia/the case of Anna Anderson ever since 1980s.)

When the author of this book saw Anna Anderson in December in 1983 (1982? the author of this book writes it was 1982) she looked nervous because it was slightly after the kidnap-incident (Jack Manahan took her from the hospital in November). The author of this book, Hisayoshi Tsuge could visit her through a certified public accountant who frequently checked with the hospital where Anna Anderson was at that time.

Here's the excerpt from his conversation with Anna Anderson (The original is in Japanese so I am not sure if my translation is definitely correct)

(From p. 274)
Tsuge: You've been talking in English for decades--it's been more than 50 years since you moved to here [the USA] right?

Anna Anderson: 55 years, I guess. I've been talking in English but back in Russia, in fact I talked with my family in English, because, you know, my mother lived in Britain [in her young days].

Through the conversations with Anna Anderson, he came to be convinced that she was real.

aya-anya

And he was mistaken....

[helenazar]

The person who did the translation from Japanese for us mentioned that the author's description of his meeting with Anna Anderson sounded almost exactly word-for-word like Peter Kurth's, so he is convinced that the author just copied it from Kurth and never really met her at all. I can't imagine anyone would be so blatant, but stranger things have happened...

[aya-anya]

Hi.
Thank you Helen_A!

The author of this book did not put Peter Kurth's book in references btw. He must have referred Peter Kurth's one though. The references he used for writing the book are: Summers and Mangold's one, Anastasia's Album by Brewster,  J. Lovell's book, Radzinsky's book, the video, Anastasia Dead or Alive and Last of the Czars by Discovery Channel.

I had been long doubted this book when I read the part of Tsuge's approval with J. Lovell's "another sister of Anastasia in Dutch" story...

Okay, so now I came to think that "the legend of Anastasia" in Japan is not trustful...in my opinion, here in Japan people who are interested in this seem to believe that the missing one is Maria, not Anastasia...in Japan this topic had become complicated, although there might be many people who are profoundly interested in it.

aya-anya

[helenazar]

...written by one of the AP forum posters ("aya-anya")...


http://www.geocities.com/mushkah/LegendsJapanMainPage.html

[etonexile]

...written by one of the AP forum posters ("aya-anya")...


http://www.geocities.com/mushkah/LegendsJapanMainPage.html

Somehow I can't even bring myself to read this...Is it just dreadful muck...?

[aya-anya]

Thank you, Helen_A for posting. I did not have courage to post the link by myself though, because of some contents in my articles and my opinions that I posted before in this forum...

Somehow I can't even bring myself to read this...Is it just dreadful muck...?

Well, I wrote it. Your opinion is definitely true.

For the people who are going to click the link:

Please do not click it if you are not interested in those fictional stuff based on AA's story and the Romanovs at all. I gave a warning, it's your choice then, whether or not you click it.

What I'd like to tell is, that "Faces of Russia, Past and Present:The Online Journal" consists of excellent articles.  I know that mine is horrible.

Thank you for your patience,

aya-anya

[helenazar]

Somehow I can't even bring myself to read this...Is it just dreadful muck...?

Dear Eton,

Based on the questionable nature (for the lack of a better term) of the many "Anastasia" posts we see here, I can completely understand why you would be reluctant to click on this link... But rest assured, Ayano's article is not in any way related to the plentiful "Anastasia muck" we often encounter on these "Survivor" threads. I see it as more of a study of how a culture that is not our own (western) responds to the same popular historical legends... It is a story on human psychology rather than another "Did Anastasia survive?" one. I find that aspect of it quite interesting.

As Ayano sums it up at the end of her first article: "The legend of Anastasia has been translated from history and it may be a key to the social interests in cultural translation as well as in historical legends.  

Both Margarita and I are glad that Ayano decided to submit her articles to our online journal.  

[Rachael89]

How fascinating Helen, thankyou and congrationlations Aya Anya the article is very interseting and I like the pics do you have any more screenshots from the program?

Rachael