Gustav Heldt: Torikaebaya Monogatari

Join us for a book talk with Gustav Heldt, who will speak about Torikaebaya Monogatari: A Japanese Tale of Gender-Swapped Siblings. This new edition of Rosette Willig’s translation of the classic Torikaebaya Monogatari features a brand-new introduction by Heldt. This in-person event will be free and open to the public. We recommend arriving early for the best seating.

About the Book: Torikaebaya Monogatari is a twelfth-century Japanese tale like no other. As suggested by its title, which literally translates to “if only I could exchange them” (torikaebaya) “story” (monogatari), it follows the complications that arise when a nobleman has his two children swap genders—his son living as a woman, and his daughter living as a man. What unfolds is a tale of tragicomedy, familial love, and oblique social commentary as the two siblings embark on their secretly gender-crossed adult lives, subverting and satirizing literature of the period—most notably The Tale of Genji. In more recent times, the tale has sparked intellectual debate and creative inspiration in Japan, with its reception over time reflecting the ever-shifting views of gender and sexuality in that country.

About the Speaker: Gustav Heldt is a professor of Japanese literature at the University of Virginia. He is the author of The Pursuit of Harmony: Poetry and Power in Early Heian Japan (2008) and Navigating Narratives: Tsurayuki’s Tosa Diary as History and Fiction (2024), as well as translator of The Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters (2014).