Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Asian American studies. IN SEARCH OF EMILY: JOURNEYS FROM JAPAN TO AMHERST is Takeda'saccount of several journeys to the United States from Japan to study the poetry, and life, of Emily Dickinson.Takeda not onlyrecounts how she discovered the places Dickinson lived, but she also relates how Dickinson touches her life and the lives of people she met along the way. Takeda also explores her relation to her native Japan from her vantage point in the U.S. and what it means to live abroad as a Japanese woman. She also tackles the problem of learning, living and writing in a second language.

IN SEARCH OF EMILY chronicles the transformation of a young Japanese girl's blossoming interest in poetry into a lifelong pursuit after the enigmatic Emily Dickinson. Takeda artfully binds the contemporary with the past, proving that perhaps Osaka and Amherst aren't so far apart and that a Japanese reader may strike to the very heart of understanding Dickinson and her work. Her readings of Dickinson's poems are invigorating and personal, and her conversations with other Dickinson specialists and enthusiasts are sure to provide insights for both new readers and longtime lovers of Amherst's reclusive muse.

Author Hometown: OSAKA JAP



About the author: Masako Takeda was born in Nagano, Japan, in 1945. She grew up in Osaka, where she now lives. Graduated from Kyoto University in 1972, Masako initially taught it Mie University and has been teaching at Osaka Shoin Women's University since 1991. Her wish to spread knowledge and appreciation of Emily Dickinson's poetry in Japan led her to compile several textbooks on her poetry for Japanese students. She has also translated Dickinson's love poetry, some of her letters, and a Dickinson cookbook in Japanese. A book recounting her experience in the United States in Search of Emily Dickinson was published in 1996 in Japan. IN SEARCH OF EMILY is her first book written for an American audience.