{"product_id":"the-factory-9780811228855","title":"The Factory","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe English-language debut of one of Japan's most exciting new writers, The Factory follows three workers at a sprawling industrial factory. Each worker focuses intently on the specific task they've been assigned: one shreds paper, one proofreads documents, and another studies the moss growing all over the expansive grounds. But their lives slowly become governed by their work--days take on a strange logic and momentum, and little by little, the margins of reality seem to be dissolving: Where does the factory end and the rest of the world begin? What's going on with the strange animals here? And after a while--it could be weeks or years--the three workers struggle to answer the most basic question: What am I doing here?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith hints of Kafka and unexpected moments of creeping humor, The Factory casts a vivid--and sometimes surreal--portrait of the absurdity and meaninglessness of the modern workplace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOyamada, Hiroko:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Born in Hiroshima in 1983, \u003cstrong\u003eHiroko Oyamada\u003c\/strong\u003e won the Shincho Prize for New Writers for \u003cem\u003eThe Factory\u003c\/em\u003e, which was drawn from her experiences working as a temp for an automaker's subsidiary. Her novel \u003cem\u003eThe Hole \u003c\/em\u003ewon Akutagawa Prize.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoyd, David:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Boyd\u003c\/strong\u003e is Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has translated stories by Genichiro Takahashi, Masatsugu Ono and Toh EnJoe, among others. His translation of Hideo Furukawa's \u003cem\u003eSlow Boat\u003c\/em\u003e won the 2017\/2018 Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature. With Sam Bett, he is cotranslating the novels of Mieko Kawakami.","brand":"New Directions Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50583208755474,"sku":"9780811228855","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_530a6848-276d-4f51-b531-c2d955ae9499.jpg?v=1732026737","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-factory-9780811228855","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}