In his 1987 book "Ireland Kiko (Travels in Ireland)," the renowned historical novelist and essayist Ryotaro Shiba (1923-96) observed that "the typical Irish character could easily be dramatized," and that "Ireland is one of the richest countries for the literary arts, with people whose daily lives are full sarcasm, humor, magnificent rhetoric and biting self-criticism."

In theater, of course, the likes of Samuel Beckett, John Millington Synge, Oscar Wilde and others are clear testaments to these insights. More recently, another who has catapulted himself into these ranks is 37-year-old Martin McDonagh, whose debut play, "The Beauty Queen of Leenane," won the Most Promising Playwright award of the Critics' Circle in Britain in 1996, and a Tony in the United States two years later. The London-born son of Irish immigrants then won Best New Play in the Laurence Olivier Awards with his morbid fantasy "The Pillowman' in 2003, the same year that he reached Japan, with his fifth play, 2001's "The Lieutenant of Inishmore."

Despite being hardly known here — and his work being full of quirky Irish humor and jargon — in one bound McDonagh assumed star status in Japan's theater world. A key figure in his ascension here has been 42-year-old translator Jo Meguro. With her translation of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" set to open in Tokyo next week, Meguro recently took time out to speak with The Japan Times.