About the book: year / From the translator The collection “Kitchen” is Banana Yoshimoto’s debut book. It was written at a time when the young writer worked part-time as a waitress in one of the Tokyo restaurants. It was at this time that she took on her original pseudonym Banana, which means “banana.” The writer herself explains the origin of her name by saying that she liked the banana flowers that she first saw in a restaurant. Huge flowers, full of energy and expression, outlandish for Japan, so captured the writer’s imagination that she decided to name herself after them. However, there is also an opinion that this pseudonym is reminiscent of the great Japanese poet Matsuo Basho, whose name means “banana tree.” After the publication of the collection “Kitchen” in 1988, people began to talk about Banana Yoshimoto. She becomes famous and popular both in Japan and abroad. The collection is translated into English, German and Italian. All three stories included in this book: “Kitchen”, “Full Moon (Kitchen-2)” and “Moonlight Shadow”, as well as the collection itself, were awarded literary prizes. “Kitchen” was published in Russian. (translated by E. Dyakonova, collection “New Japanese prose. He/She.” - Moscow. - Foreigner, 2001), “Moonlight Shadow” (translated by E. Tarasova, Journal of non-literal translation “Language Shop”) Translation of the story “Full Moon (Kitchen-2)” is based on the book “Kittin”, Fukutake Bunko Publishing House, 1991. Ekaterina Tarasova