The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abé
This novel tells the story of a schoolteacher and amateur entomologist who travels to a remote seaside village to collect insects. He is tricked into staying the night in a house at the bottom of a sand pit with a mysterious woman, who spends her days shoveling back the ever-encroaching sand. As the days pass, the man realizes he has been trapped and is forced to help the woman with her endless task, leading to a strange and consuming relationship filled with existential dread and fascination.
The 857th greatest book of all time
Purchase from
Bookshop.org or
Amazon
- Published
- 1962
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Length
- Short
- Pages
- 241
- Original Language
- Japanese
- Avg User Rating
-
(3.9)
- Alternate Titles
-
- De Vrouw In Het Zand
- De vrouw in het zand
- La Donna Di Sabbia
- Suna no Onna
- The Woman In The Dunes
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 7 lists:
- 67th on TrueLit's Top 100 Favorite Books (2023) (/r/TrueLit)
- 121st on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 1571st on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- A Century of World Literature 1925 - 2025 (Der Spiegel)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- The 100 Greatest Novels (Nezavisimaya Gazeta (Russian Newspaper))
- The 100 Novels That Have Most Enthralled "Le Monde" Since 1944 (Le Monde)