First published in 1898 and long out of print, A Japanese Robinson Crusoe by Jenichiro Oyabe (1867-1941) is a pioneering work of Asian American literature. It recounts Oyabe's early life in Japan, his journey west, and his education at two historically Black colleges, detailing in the process his gradual transformation from Meiji gentleman to self-proclaimed Japanese Yankee. Like a Victorian novelist, Oyabe spins a tale that mixes faith and exoticism, social analysis and humor. His story fuses classic American narratives of self-creation and the self-made man (and, in some cases, the tall...
First published in 1898 and long out of print, A Japanese Robinson Crusoe by Jenichiro Oyabe (1867-1941) is a pioneering work of Asian American lit...
