Asako Yuzuki

I really [beep] with that because I think, like, don't, we talked about this earlier maybe on our first episode of the pod.

But I read Butter by Asako Yuzuki-

Yes

... um, this summer.

Next week, The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.

Then Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki, and then Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Ooh.

Some spooky books coming up.

So Cucina Povera, and Baking For Two, and Seafood Simple by Eric Ripert, like, are all, you know, things that are right there in front.

And I'm just about to start Butter by Asako Yuzuki, and I'm looking forward to that too.

Thanks for sharing that with us, and thanks for being in here, Michael.

[upbeat music] I hope you enjoyed today's conversation with Michael.

On, uh, October 12th, we will be reading "The Only Good Indians" by Stephen Graham Jones.

Uh, then I'll be reading "Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder" by Asako Yuzuki.

And on, uh, October 26th, we'll be reading "Let the Right One In," uh, by John...

How do you, what's that middle name?

Edra was mentored by Polly Barton through the National Centre for Writing's Emerging Translator Mentorship Programme and subsequently selected as an NCW Virtual Translator-in-Residence.

Mari the Unwonderful Witch by Asako Yuzuki, published by Penguin Random House's Children UK in 2026, is her latest translation.

Hi, Edra.

Thank you so much for joining me.

this is like the perfect book for you to translate like

you are Mari all over um but I'd love to know what was it about this novel that made you want to translate it?

Yeah it was interesting I mean to get into a little bit of the background of how it landed in my lap like you could obviously make the um the correct link between the fact that Asako Yuzuki's translator for adult fiction is Polly Barton.

And the way it kind of worked out is the agent from Japan, Hamish McCaskill from English Agency Japan, kind of got in contact with Polly about her producing a sample.