Sid just published her first book. It's a translated book from English: Japan, A reinterpretationby Patrick Smith. With this book she also launched her career as a literary agent.And I am very proud of her.
It was during last year's Tokyo International Book Fair that I met her for the first time offline. We had known each other for almost 7 years, first through many weeks of online chatting,then sporadic emails after both of us took off to the US and stayed there for several years studying.Eventually, we lost our contact altogether for almost two years. So, when she emerged again with an email of her latest news from Tokyo,I knew the time had come for us to meet, for I was going there in a week!
Our first meeting happend at a very crowded and noisy fairground where the edge of the bookswould merge with that of people. Then we went to a cafe in Ginza and talked about books among the impeccably clad people in their forties and fifties sipping their tea in silence. As the evening set in, we left the cafe and walked toward the end of Ginza strip to have our sushi at the oldest restaurant in the area. The restaurant was practically empty with just one moretable by the window occupied by a young man and an old lady. Sid told me about life of a very famousspy, Richard Sorge over dinner. Nobody has ever told me a story about a spy in such a fascinating way.I don't know what I have enjoyed more; sushi or the story.
By the time we left, it was dark and the shops were closing. Sid took me to her favorite bookstore,searched for something and came back to me with a book in her hand, Japan: Reinterpretation.
That was a year ago, almost. And Korean edition is out all because of two passionate women who believed in the book; one is the literary agent, translator and the other publisher.
Now I can't wait to read her second book; a fiction this time. :)
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