Tennessee Williams — A Streetcar Named Desire / 欲望という名の電車
Sogensha (創元社), Osaka. 1952. True First Japanese Edition, First Printing.
OVERVIEW
This is not simply a first Japanese edition of Tennessee Williams' most celebrated play. It is a document of two avant-garde histories colliding on a single object.
The cover of this 1952 Sogensha edition was designed by Jiro Yoshihara (吉原治良) — the painter who, just two years later, would found the Gutai Art Association (具体美術協会), Japan's most radical postwar avant-garde movement. Gutai's influence on Fluxus, performance art, and abstract expressionism is now firmly established in the canon of 20th-century art history. This book predates that founding moment, placing it in the formative period of one of the century's most consequential artistic minds.
Published in Osaka in 1952 — riding the wave of Elia Kazan's landmark film adaptation starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh — this edition introduced Williams' searing theatrical vision to Japanese readers as a playscript: the original form in which Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski were conceived. The collision of American dramatic literature and Japanese avant-garde visual culture, bound in a single volume, is precisely the kind of artifact shady2grove exists to surface.
WHY THIS VOLUME IS A PRIZED COLLECTOR'S ITEM
1. Gutai Provenance — Cover design by Jiro Yoshihara, executed two years before he founded Gutai. A pre-Gutai artifact by the movement's creator, in the context of American literary history.
2. Exceptional Completeness — Retains original dust jacket, cast character insert, and original Sogensha promotional postcard. A 70+ year survival rate that is extraordinarily rare for an Osaka imprint of this period.
3. Historical Intersection — True first Japanese edition of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, published at the precise moment Williams' work was reshaping global dramatic culture via Kazan's film.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
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Author: Tennessee Williams
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Title: A Streetcar Named Desire / 欲望という名の電車
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Cover Design: Jiro Yoshihara (吉原治良) — founder, Gutai Art Association (具体美術協会, est. 1954)
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Publisher: Sogensha (創元社), Osaka
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Year Published: 1952 (Showa 27) — True First Japanese Edition, First Printing
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Language: Japanese
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Format: Hardcover with dust jacket
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Inclusions: Original dust jacket (DJ), cast character insert, Sogensha promotional postcard
CONDITION
Good Vintage Condition — Exceptional Survival for Age
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Dust Jacket: Present and intact. Natural toning consistent with 70+ years; the patina of a well-traveled literary artifact.
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Binding: Tight, secure, and fully intact.
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Interior & Pages: Natural age-toning throughout; no writing, stamps, or tears.
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Note: Small tear at upper right corner of front paste-down endpaper. Please inspect all high-resolution listing photos carefully.
[IMPORTANT NOTE FOR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: EASY AI TRANSLATION]
While the text is printed in Japanese, you can easily read and study this historic book using modern smartphone AI tools. By taking a photo of any page with your smartphone and using free apps like Google Lens, ChatGPT, or Google Translate, the embedded AI will instantly scan and translate the text. Language is no longer a barrier to owning this rare piece of international history.
SHIPPING & HANDLING
We treat rare and vintage literature with the utmost respect. This book will be securely wrapped in multiple layers of bubble wrap and shipped inside a rigid, highly protective box to prevent any bending or corner damage during transit. Shipped via expedited international shipping with full end-to-end tracking and insurance included.
