背景介绍：
众所周知，日本是全世界老年人口比例最高的国家。随着人口的老龄化，日本的作家和书籍也在向着老龄化发展，市场上由老年作家所写的书以及写给老年人看的书越来越多了。
In Japan, there is a boom in books by and for the elderly
在日本，老年作家写的和写给老年人看的书越来越多了
As the market ages, so do the authors and themes
随着市场的老龄化，作者和题材也在老龄化
Literature reflects life. So in ageing Japan there is a raft of smash-hit books by aged authors. “Age 90: what’s so great about it?” is a humorous essay on the difficulties of the elderly, by Aiko Sato, who is 95 and wrote it with a pen.
文学反映了生活。因此，在老龄化的日本有着大量由老年作家所著的畅销书。现年95岁的佐藤爱子用一只笔写下了一部关于老年人困境的幽默小说——《90岁：没什么大不了的》。
It sold 1m copies in 2017, making it Japan’s bestselling book that year. In 2018 the Akutagawa literary prize went to Chisako Wakatake, 63 at the time, for her debut novel “Live by Myself” with its 74-year-old protagonist, Momoko.
2017年，该书售出了100万册，成为了日本当年的畅销书。2018年，时年63岁的若竹知佐子凭借她的处女作《独自生活》荣获了当年的日本芥川文学奖，书中女主角桃子同样有着74岁的高龄。
The books talk about how to live in old age, and it is not all doom and gloom. The widowed Momoko, for example, learns to live on her own.
书中谈到了如何度过晚年生活，其中并不全是厄运和悲伤。例如，寡居的桃子学会了独立生活。
“The Finished Person” by Makiko Uchidate, who is 70, opens with the line “retirement is a living funeral” before going on to depict the adventures of a retired salaryman, including falling for a younger woman and returning to his home town.
70岁的内日真纪子在《结束的人》一书中以“退休是一场活生生的葬礼”开篇，接着描写了一位退休工人的冒险经历（包括爱上一位年轻女子以及重返故乡）。
“Going to Die Soon”, also by Ms Uchidate, features 78-year-old Hana, a vibrant former alcohol-shop owner trying to make the most of her remaining years.
同样由内日真纪子所著的《即将逝去》一书的女主角为78岁的哈娜，这位充满活力的前酒店老板希望充分利用她的余生岁月。
The novel has been called a book for shukatsu, or preparing for death, making readers think more deeply about what it means to age.
这部小说被称为一本“为死亡做准备”的书，它让读者更深入地去思考年龄意味着什么。
Japan’s population has the world’s highest proportion of over-65s, at 28%. People are living longer and staying healthier, so many have at least 20-30 years of retirement, for much of which they are sprightly.
日本65岁以上者的人口比例为28％，居于世界首位。人们的寿命越来越长，身体越来越健康，因此很多人有至少20-30年的退休生活，他们在其中大部分的时间里都是精力充沛的。
And although the Japanese have been spending less on books, that is least true for the over-60s. Lawson, a convenience-store chain, recently decided to stock books with the older generation in mind.
尽管日本人在书籍上的花销越来越少了，但对于60岁以上的人来说，情况则大为不同。考虑到老年人的需求，罗森便利连锁店最近决定要采购书籍了。
But the wrinkly writers’ books are attracting younger readers, too, according to the Research Institute for Publications (RIP), a body in Tokyo.
但据东京出版物研究所称，老年作家的作品也在吸引着年轻的读者。
Some are preparing for their own old age or want to understand the increasing number of old people they see around them. Others find relevance in the themes explored, such as loneliness, a problem that stretches well beyond the silver-haired.
一些人是在为自己的晚年生活做准备，或是想了解他们身边越来越多的老年人。另一些人则在书中找到了与其探索的主题的相关性，例如孤独这个远远超出年龄范畴的问题。
In Hiroyuki Itsuki’s blockbuster self-help book, “Recommendation for Solitude”, the 86-year-old author promotes reminiscing about “the good old days”.
现年86岁的斋宫博之在其畅销的励志书《孤独的建议》中倡导人们回忆“美好的往昔”。
The most notable feature of the new genre is that the vast majority of authors, and main characters, are women.
这些文学新体裁最显著的特点是，绝大多数的作者和主人公都是女性。
Especially popular, says the RIP, are the ara-hun (“around-hundred” years-old) writers like Ms Sato, whose book, readers say, helps them be more positive. It is not just that women have a longer life expectancy.
东京出版物研究所表示，像佐藤爱子这样的年近百岁的作家尤为受到欢迎。读者们表示，她的书让他们变得更加积极乐观。这不仅仅是因为女性有更长的预期寿命。
Their popularity, reckons the institute, also reflects support for strong women who are passionate about their work, a phenomenon that is all too rare in Japan today.
据该研究所认为，她们受欢迎的程度也反映了人们对工作充满激情的强势女性的支持，这种现象在当今的日本是非常罕见的。
小编说：
老龄化的日本出现了越来越多的老年书籍，这些书籍不仅仅吸引了老年读者，也同样吸引了众多日本年轻的读者。你曾经看过老年书籍（类似于文中所提到的这类：以老年人为主人公的、或描写晚年生活的书籍）吗？对于书籍老龄化这种现象，你有什么看法，欢迎在留言区写下你的观点。返回搜狐，查看更多
