Most of them (if not all of them) are in the public domain.

http://www.japanpen.or.jp/e-bungeikan/

Novels:

http://www.japanpen.or.jp/e-bungeikan/no...bhome.html

Translations (of European works):

http://www.japanpen.or.jp/e-bungeikan/tr...nsltn.html

Tanka and Haiku:

http://www.japanpen.or.jp/e-bungeikan/ch...bhome.html

Anti-War:

http://www.japanpen.or.jp/e-bungeikan/an...bhome.html

ahibba Wrote:Most of them (if not all of them) are in the public domain.

Not according to the website; the library only contains works from members of P.E.N., which was founded in 1921, and a work is protected for 50 years after the author's death...

Quote:Concerning copyrights, the Japan P.E.N. Club Digital Library mainly contains copyrighted literary works included with the permission of the copyright holders of each work, either the authors themselves or the copyright heirs if the author is deceased.
No part of this Library's contents may be reproduced in any form without permission. For more information, email to the Secretariat of the Japan P.E.N. Club

Thanks for finding this! It's just a matter of time before I'll be able to read some of it, I'm sure.

Edit: Actually, I clicked on one and can read a surprising amount of it... Neat.

Great find, thanks for sharing.

Pauline Wrote:Not according to the website; the library only contains works from members of P.E.N., which was founded in 1921, and a work is protected for 50 years after the author's death...

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I confused it with Aozora Bunko library (http://www.aozora.gr.jp)


I forgot to say that some of them has furigana like this one:

http://www.japanpen.or.jp/e-bungeikan/no...Itiyo3.pdf (very nice to read)

Another section for children works:

http://www.japanpen.or.jp/e-bungeikan/ch...bhome.html

Good find! Even though they may not be in the public domain, they're clearly ok for personal usage. If you click on the English link it says:

Quote:The Japan P.E.N. Club is an international association of Japanese writers.The P.E.N. Charter affirms the following: "In all circumstances, and particularly in time of war, works of art, the patrimony of humanity at large, should be left untouched by national or political passion," and "Literature, national though it may be in origin, knows no frontiers, and should remain common currency between nations in spite of political or international upheavals." In order to oppose nuclear testing, support movements for the preservation of the environment and human rights, and fight to protect freedom of speech, the power of our members' art is absolutely essential. Our belief in "the might of the pen" forms the basis of our efforts to maintain world peace and freedom of speech.

Today, in honor of its annual "P.E.N. Day," the Japan P.E.N.Club moves to establish its own "Digital Library" in which the best works of our past members, beginning with Shimazaki Toson, our first president, will be recorded. In addition, our nearly 2,000 current members will select their own works to be included in the library, along with introductions. Thus, we would like to amass as complete a collection as possible of modern and contemporary Japanese literature, to be made widely available to both domestic and international readers. We hope that you will lend your strongest support to this undertaking.

November 26th, 2001

Is this anything like the Pen15 club?

Dixon Wrote:Is this anything like the Pen15 club?

When I saw this thread, that was my first thought too. Who wants to be a member? I'll get my pen out...

Gotta start polishing my pens. All 15 of them.

Anyway do these books contain more modern usages of kanji and stuff? I was led a little astray by the "Breaking Into Japanese Literature", since apparently it used old school ways of writing.

Nii87 Wrote:Anyway do these books contain more modern usages of kanji and stuff?

Yes, but not all of them.