Abe Kobo (1924-1993) was one of Japan's greatest postwar writers, widely recognized for his imaginative science fiction and plays of the absurd. However, he also wrote theoretical criticism for which he is lesser known, merging literary, historical, and philosophical perspectives into keen reflections on the nature of creativity, the evolution of the human species, and an impressive range of other subjects. Abe Kobo tackled contemporary social issues and literary theory with the depth and facility of a visionary thinker. Featuring twelve essays from his prolific career--including "Poetry and Poets (Consciousness and the Unconscious)," written in 1944, and "The Frontier Within, Part II," written in 1969--this anthology introduces English-speaking readers to Abe Kobo as critic and intellectual for the first time. Demonstrating the importance of his theoretical work to a broader understanding of his fiction--and a richer portrait of Japan's postwar imagination--Richard F. Calichman provides an incisive introduction to Abe Kobo's achievements and situates his essays historically and intellectually.

The Frontier Within redresses the lopsided and biased understanding of Abe Kobo as solely a writer of fiction. First and foremost a thinker, he was extremely conscious of the fundamental conditions in which language operated and human existence was formed. The essays in this volume provide wonderful insight into Abe Kobo's engagement with imperialism, border creation, postwar 'democracy,' U.S.-Japan relations, and postwar Japanese Marxism. -- Atsuko Ueda, Princeton University, coeditor of Theory of Literature and Other Critical Writings Beautifully and meticulously translated with a masterful introduction, Abe Kobo's dazzling essays confirm his reputation as one of our greatest thinkers of limit-experiences, with philosophical meditation, literary theory, historical materialism, and aesthetic practice all brought to bear on the fundamental question: how to produce a non-fascist mode of existence within art and literature? -- Thomas Lamarre, translator of Death Sentences and Gilbert Simondon and the Philosophy of the Transindividual

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction"Poetry and Poets (Consciousness and the Unconscious)" (Shi to shijin [Ishiki to muishiki]) (1944)"Theory and Practice in Literature" (Bungaku ni okeru riron to jissen) (1954)"The Hand of a Calculator with the Heart of a Beast: What Is Literature?" (Moju no kokoro ni keisanki no te wo: Bungaku to ha nanika) (1955)"Discovering America" (Amerika hakken) (1957)"Does the Visual Image Destroy the Walls of Language?" (Eizo ha gengo no kabe wo hakai suru ka) (1960)"Artistic Revolution: Theory of the Art Movement" (Geijutsu no kakumei: Geijutsu undo no riron) (1960)"Possibilities for Education Today: On the Essence of Human Existence" (Gendai ni okeru kyoiku no kanosei: Ningen sonzai no honshitsu ni furete) (1965)"Beyond the Neighbor" (Rinjin wo koeru mono) (1966)"The Military Look" (Miritari rukku) (1968)"Passport of Heresy" (Itan no pasupoto) (1968)"The Frontier Within" (Uchi naru henkyo) (1968)"The Frontier Within, Part II" (Zoku: Uchi naru henkyo) (1969)NotesGlossaryIndex of Names