Some of you may be familiar with Maruyama's novels and some of you may never have heard of his name; in any case, we believe that he is one of the most distinguished contemporary novelists in Japan.
　Kenji Maruyama received the Akutagawa Prize, the most prestigious literary award in Japan, for his novel, "Natsu no Nagare" in 1966 at the age of 23.
　Subsequently, he settled in the countryside of Nagano and has devoted himself to writing. At first glance, one might think him to be a Zen monk in training, or a wandering samurai, quite different from the fixed image of a novelist in Japan; however, his passion for literature is enormous. He has written an immense number of works, and surprisingly, his literary quality has deepened and developed as he has put on years, establishing a unique image for himself, quite unlike the stereotypical image of a Japanese writer.
　It is beyond doubt that Maruyama's works represent the height of contemporary Japanese literature due to their excellent narrative structure and exquisite style. It is a shame, therefore, that Maruyama's works are neither widely recognised nor read outside Japan mainly because very few of his works have been translated into other languages, presumably due to the difficulty in making an exact and well-polished translation.
　We are certain that Kenji Maruyama truly deserves the Nobel Prize in Literature, and we will continue our best efforts to publish other works of his in English.
　The three short novellas introduced here are included in the collection titled "Rakurai no tabiji (The Journey of Falling Thunder)," and the whole collection in English is scheduled to be published in book form in the spring of 2020. This will actually be the debut of Maruyama's literature to the English-speaking world, and we sincerely hope that as many people as possible will enjoy it.