Spark

Hilarious, strange, and moving in equal measure—a Japanese multi-million-copy smash hit about the struggles of a young manzai duo of stand-up comedians

Perfect for readers of strange, funny Japanese fiction, from Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman to Emi Yagi’s Diary of a Void

“A whip-smart tale that'll prove impossible to put down” – Vogue

Tokunaga 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 manzai comedy—a Japanese form of comedy involving a duo, one partner playing a more serious character, the other playing the fool.

A 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 manzai comedy duo, Spark 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.

Offering a hilarious and poignant look at the unique world of Japanese manzai comedy, Spark 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.

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.

Alison Watts is an Australian-born freelance literary translator and longtime resident of Japan who has translated novels by Durian Sukegawa, Naoki Matayoshi, Riku Onda and Shusei Hase.