J. Martin Holman translates the works of Japanese author Yasushi Inoue

J. Martin Holman translated a collection of short stories by Japanese author Yasushi Inoue titled The Death of a Certain Woman.

Holman first met Inoue in 1988 to discuss a historical novel about a 16th-century tea master, but he eventually shifted his focus to Inoue's fiction regarding childhood and youth. Holman began publishing these translations in the early 1990s, including the story The Naked Treetops. The collection includes stories originally published in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s.

While Inoue received major honors in Japan, such as the Order of Culture in 1976, Holman notes that only a small portion of the author's work has reached English audiences. He attributes this to a limited market for Japanese literature during Inoue's peak years and a shortage of translators capable of handling his specific style. Inoue's stories often focus on people living on the margins of history rather than famous figures.

For example, his stories about the early 20th century reflect his own formative years. These narratives follow young protagonists as they experience internal transformations and changes in their understanding of the world. Inoue maintained that the responsibility for interpreting his work lies with the reader or the translator rather than the author.