The novel behind Takashi Miike's "Audition" coming out in English translation in June

by Chris MaGee

To say that Takashi Miike's pioneering horror/ thriller "Audition" is popular amongst all of us here at the Pow-Wow is a bit of an understatement. We can only assume that it's the same for a lot of you out there as well, so here's a story that many, many folks will be glad to hear. As many of you know Miike's film, scripted by Shohei Imamura's son Daisuke Tengan, was based on the 1997 Ryu Murakami novel of the same name. Come this June English-language readers will finally get a chance to compare the book to the film when W.W. Norton & Company releases "Audition" their long-awaited translation of this mind-bending tale.

I'd give a brief synopsis of the plot here, but it would seem redundant for all of you who love Miike's film, and for those of you who have been living off in a cave somewhere and know nothing about "Audition"... Well, let's just say it's best to go in without knowing anything whether you're watching the film or picking up a copy of this book.

Speaking of picking up a copy of "Audition" the book is now available for pre-order at Amazon. Thanks to 24 Frames per Second for this great bit of news.