Available Formats
Spark
By (Author) Naoki Matayoshi
Translated by Alison Watts
Pushkin Press
Pushkin Press
28th April 2020
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
895.636
Paperback
160
Width 129mm, Height 198mm
Spark is a story about art and friendship, about countless bizarre drunken conversations and how far it's acceptable to go for a laugh. A novel about comedy that's as moving and thoughtful as it is funny, it's already been a sensation in Japan.
'A whip-smart tale that'll prove impossible to put down' Vogue
'Edgy... the familiar story of the apprentice surpassing his master' Sunday Times
'Excels as a comedy of the absurd... a Japanese Withnail and I... Immensely satisfying' Japan Society
'The seedy side of Tokyo is summoned up in tale about a comedy duo and the awkward bonds of men... Spark does the city credit' Financial Times
'Irresistible. A painfully sensitive rendering of the reality for young manzai comedians... The writing is wonderful' Akio Nakamori
Naoki Matayoshi is a Japanese manzai comedian and author, who found fame performing as part of the popular comic duo 'Peace'. Spark is his first novel and has been hugely successful in Japan since it was first published in 2016. It has won the Akutagawa Prize and was adapted for film, stage and TV - the hit series is available on Netflix UK.