...Now in Japan a real renaissance of “female” culture, which has been suppressed for so long, is unfolding. Literature, as the most sensitive of the arts, was the first to reflect this trend. Evidence of this is our anthology in general and this volume in particular. The “women’s” collection is primarily striking in its stylistic and genre diversity; you will not find two similar texts here, and this is a sure sign of the dynamic and multi-vector development of the entire literary movement as a whole. In the volume “ “She” you will find: Traditional women's revelations that men are bastards and that it is impossible to understand them (Anna Ogino); Action with shooting and hostage-taking (Miyuki Miyabe); Social-psychological drama about the “little man” (Kaoru Takamura); A lyrical novella about death and eternal life (Yoko Ogawa); A kind story about the world of childhood (Emi Yamada); A merciless story about the world of childhood (Yu Miri); A cheerful remake of the fairy tale about Mary Poppins (Yoko Tawada); A philosophical parable in a truly Japanese spirit with a truly Japanese title (Kiyoko Murata); Tribute to the times: thoughtless, unreflective and almost plotless youth prose (Banana Yoshimoto); Japanese variation of magical realism (Yoriko Shono); Light sur (Hiromi Kawakami); Heavy “technocomics”, aka cybergrotesque (Mariko Ohara).

(from the preface)