{"title":"Naoki Matayoshi","description":"Naoki Matayoshi is a Japanese manzai comedian and author, who found fame performing as part of the popular comic duo Peace. Spark is his first novel and has been hugely successful in Japan since it was first published in 2016. It has won the Akutagawa Prize and was adapted for film, stage and TV - the hit series is available on Netflix US.","products":[{"product_id":"the-neverending-book-hardcover","title":"The Neverending Book - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn aged, near-blind, book-loving king sends two of his subjects out into the world to learn about unusual and magical books. One year later, they return to tell the whimsical, tender, and touching stories they've learned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong them are: a book that runs faster than a cheetah, a pair of books that are identical twins, a diary shared by two children with painful secrets, a photo album left by a dying father for when his daughter gets married, and the most romantic story in the world . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the comically irreverent to the heartrending to the heartwarming, \u003cem\u003eThe Neverending Book\u003c\/em\u003e delves into all that a book can be, forming an enchanting compendium that reveals the ways in which we interact with books and the importance they hold in our hearts. Imaginative and playful, \u003cem\u003eThe Neverending Book\u003c\/em\u003e is an unforgettable love letter to literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce there was a wise king who loved books.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the king was very old, and he couldn't see well enough to read anymore. So the king summoned two men to his castle to send them on a quest: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eI adore books. You wouldn't believe how many I've read in my life. I command the two of you to wander the world for the strangest, most interesting, most wonderful books. And I want you to return in one year to tell me what you have found. . . .\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe two men set out on their journey. A year later they returned. By then, the king could no longer so much as sit up in bed. Night after night, the two men took turns telling him the stories they collected--tales of detective novels, romances, comedies, diaries, and quests.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book in your hands is the story of the books they found--and of what happened next.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101916958943,"sku":"9781324123804","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/qbtaQ2Vcyi9781324123804.webp?v=1781075882"},{"product_id":"spark-paperback","title":"Spark - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHilarious, strange, and moving in equal measure--a Japanese multi-million-copy smash hit about the struggles of a young \u003ci\u003emanzai\u003c\/i\u003e duo of stand-up comedians \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePerfect for readers of strange, funny Japanese fiction, from Sayaka Murata's \u003ci\u003eConvenience Store Woman\u003c\/i\u003e to Emi Yagi's \u003ci\u003eDiary of a Void\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A whip-smart tale that'll prove impossible to put down\" - \u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTokunaga is a young comedian struggling to make a name for himself. He meets the older Kamiya, who is either a crazy genius or perhaps just crazy, and who agrees to take Tokunaga under his wing if he writes his biography. Kamiya's indestructible confidence inspires Tokunaga, but it also makes him doubt not just the limits of his own talent, but his dedication to \u003ci\u003emanzai\u003c\/i\u003e comedy--a Japanese form of comedy involving a duo, one partner playing a more serious character, the other playing the fool. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA novel about comedy that's as moving and thoughtful as it is funny, and written by an author who himself found fame as one half of a \u003ci\u003emanzai \u003c\/i\u003ecomedy duo, \u003ci\u003eSpark\u003c\/i\u003e is already a sensation in Japan, where it won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, has sold more than 3 million copies, has been adapted for manga, stage, film, and a hit Netflix show, which is available now in the US. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOffering a hilarious and poignant look at the unique world of Japanese\u003ci\u003e manzai\u003c\/i\u003e comedy, \u003ci\u003eSpark\u003c\/i\u003e is also a story about art and friendship, about countless bizarre drunken conversations, and about how far it's acceptable to go for a laugh.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102781804767,"sku":"9781805332251","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/wqsrc19KS19781805332251.webp?v=1781087345"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/naoki-matayoshi.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}