Lian Hearn
Lian Hearn's beloved Tales of the Otori series, set in an imagined feudal Japan, has sold more than four million copies worldwide and has been translated into nearly forty languages. It is comprised of five volumes: ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW, BRILLIANCE OF THE MOON, THE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON and HEAVEN'S NET IS WIDE. The series was followed by two standalone novels, BLOSSOMS AND SHADOWS and THE STORYTELLER AND HIS THREE DAUGHTERS, also set in Japan.
Hearn's forthcoming series: The Tale of Shikanoko will be published by FSG in 4 volumes in 2016. Book 1 will be EMPEROR OF EIGHT ISLANDS out in late-April 2016, followed by book 2: AUTUMN PRINCESS, DRAGON CHILD (June), book 3: LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (August), and the final book (#4) THE TENGU'S GAME OF GO (late-Sept. 2016).
Lian has made many trips to Japan and has studied Japanese. She read Modern Languages at Oxford and worked as an editor and film critic in England before immigrating to Australia.
“The best way is to be strong enough to make your enemy think twice about attacking you, yet not so aggressive that he feels threatened. Keep your sword sheathed as long as you can, but once it is unsheathed, use it without hesitation.”
“It's what you do to yourself when you go mad with rage. You have no idea how much you can hurt yourself with your own strength.”
“Shame, however, was what I felt seeping through me as though it stained my white bones black.”
“When illusions are shattered by truth, talent is set free.”
“The painter had achieved what we would all like to do: capture time and make it stand still”
“They reminded me of the people of my village, their indomitable spirit in the face of disaster, their unshakable belief that no matter what might befall them, life was basically good and the world benign.”
“Death comes suddenly and life is fragile and brief. No one can alter this either by prayers or spells.”
“Don't you know the man whose life you spare will always hate you?”
“How was it possible for the world to be so beautiful and so cruel at the same time?”
“But just as the river is always at the door, so is the world always outside. And it is in the world that we have to live.”
“It's like a spell. It's so strong I can't fight it. Is love always like this?”
“Apa yang dikatakan orang-orang bukanlah masalah, selama aku mempertahankan perilaku yang benar.”
“Kemarahan dan kesedihan sama-sama sulit dipikul”
“The less people think of you, the more they will reveal to you or in your presence.”
“..while I was happy enough to pray to any god, knowing that they were simply different faces created by men, of one indivisible truth.”
“She entered a state where prayer and poetry became one and the everyday world seemed full of holiness and significance.”
“I believe the test of government is the contentment of the people.”
“I am not made for despair”
“...What does the blessing of heaven mean? We know the kirin is just an animal, not a mythical creature."It has become a symbol now.... That is the way human beings deal with the world.”