Tuesday 29 December 2009

H















H :A Hiroshima Novel, is a book that has appeared under different titles, originally published in Japan in 1984 by Kodansha with the title Hiroshima, then in it's first English translation in 1990, it's title was 'The Bomb', then finally in the 1995 paperback edition here as, H :A Hiroshima Novel. The image above is a detail of the paperback edition , the original artist is unnamed. The translation into English is by D.H Whittaker. I've wanted to read this book for quite a while and started it not really knowing what to expect, Makoto Oda's novel opens in the desert near the Mexico border, just at the start of the Pacific War. Joe likes to go running in the mountains, and in the area that is known as White Sands. Joe works for Will on the old man's ranch and goes to church on Sundays to meet girls, one in particular, Peggy has had feelings for Joe for sometime, but hasn't acted on them. She learns that he's the famous runner, just like local hero Chuck, a native American who competed in the Olympics. Peggy has an older sister Susan and other characters around the small village/settlement are introduced, Mr Griggs who runs the local chemist, Ken who plans to buy the ranch from Will who will move on to Florida, he wants Joe to stay on at the ranch but Joe doesn't like Ken too much, besides after Pearl Harbour his draft is imminent. Chuck and his nephew Ron meet up in the desert, and Chuck talks about the Hopi , of Sotuknang and the Tawa, (in the novel spelt Taiowa), sensing they will be amongst the chosen to survive into the new world when the present world is about to be destroyed, they find a cave in the desert which they plan to use as a sanctuary.


Mr Griggs lost a leg fighting in the last war and his thoughts turn to a Japanese who fought along side him called Tajiri, that night he has a dream that he is on a bombing raid with Tajiri, strangely in the morning he recieves a letter from Tajiri saying that he is now in an internment camp, protesting that he had fought in the American army in the last war,but despite this he's imprisoned. Mr Griggs feels he alone is powerless to help his old comrade. People in the village start to complain about the Native Americans beliefs that they can't go to war, believing that they are related to the Japanese, rumour goes around that the Army are planning to take the land the Native American settlement is on and use it as some kind of testing site. The narrative focuses on life for the Japanese in the internment camp, along with Tajiri's family is the Nakata's from Hiroshima, in the camp groups are formed into those loyal to Japan and those with leanings to the Americans. One of Nakata's sons Tommy had returned to Japan, staying with an uncle, he's bullied at school. Time moves on in the village and Will returns on a visit from Florida, Joe's been drafted and Susan's husband Al sends letters back, he's fighting in the Pacific Islands, Ken tells him about the research center built behind his old ranch, in which their building some kind of rocket.

 
The novel shifts to telling the story of Eul Sun a Korean girl living in Hiroshima, and the hard life she has, marrying a Korean man much older than herself, he gets drunk and beats her, he eventually succumbs to tuberculosis. Again the narrative switches to another new character, Keiji from Osaka who has relocated to Hiroshima, attending the same school as Tommy Nakata,(or Tomio now that he's in Japan), Tomio caught in the bullying, bullied in America for being Japanese and then bullied in Japan, accused of being a spy by the other children. Keiji's cousin Kikuko is set to marry Lieutenant Hashida. In the village in the desert Chuck is found dead at the bottom of a precipice, some believe it was suicide. Mr Griggs is awoken early one morning by a light like a 'magnesium flash',and then the bang, George, a Native American witnesses it too from his prison cell, refusing the draft, he's imprisoned. Joe, on his third mission flight over the Japanese mainland gets shot down, as the crew bail out they ask, 'Where are we?', 'On the outskirts of Hiroshima' the answer comes. Kyoko, a friend of Kikuko, has been asked to visit a foreign exchange student in hospital, Hassan, on her way she sees some Americans who had been captured after they're plane had been shot down, (Joe). Kyoko manages to persuade the nurse to let her visit him although visiting hours hadn't started, when one of the nurses looking out of the window sees in the sky the silver reflection of the bomber and a black dot.

 
The second part of the novel, which is very brief only a few pages long, concerns Joe as he stumbles around the bombed ruins, blindfolded when captured he avoids being blinded by the flash,memories of Peggy and running in White Sands come to him,and hears a voice telling him to keep walking. Desperate for water he finds a river,then he's spotted by a group of children, most of them suffering from their burns, they discover he's American and they pull him to the ground. The last part of the novel is set in probably the 1980's in a hospital ward, Dan Peshrakai,a Native American who worked in the mines, extracting uranium for the center is dying of cancer. A boy is admitted to the ward, born blind, he too has stomach cancer, his parents died drinking contaminated water from a river near the mine. The boy exhibits strange behaviour, when asked what his name is,he tells them Ron,and he calls Dan, Chuck, after a while, Uncle Chuck. An American army veteran is put on the ward also suffering from cancer. The novel is interesting in a number of ways, although set against the backdrop of the Hiroshima bomb it looks at it's effects before it was dropped and after, also exploring numerous themes, race relations, Japanese internment camps, in this fictional account of the first nuclear testing, the Hopi way of life is explored quite in-depth in the book, and permeates throughout the novel, something I never knew about this until I picked up this novel. Another novel by Makoto Oda has also appeared in English translation, 'The Breaking Jewel', which I'd like to read in the future.





Saturday 19 December 2009

Lost Souls

Published by Columbia University Press as part of the Weatherhead Books on Asia series is this collection of short stories by Hwang Sunwon (1915-2000), translated by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton. Lost Souls contains stories taken from three of his short story collections from the 1930's, 40's and 50's. Hwang studied at Waseda University in the late 1930's, where he wrote the stories that would appear in his first collection, 'The Pond',(Nup). The story 'Adverbial Avenue', originally from 'The Pond, gives a snapshot of life for Korean emigrants in Japan, a subject returned to in another story, Sunggu evades the suspicions of his landlady, deciding to tell her that he's from Kyushu, in order to disguise his Korean accent, 'Scarecrow' follows Chun'gun and his observations on fellow villagers, in particular, Myongju, in a rural tale. 'Trumpet Shells' is a more of modernist story, with coffee,cigarettes and jazz, opening in a nocturnal sea side setting, two men talk of their first meeting with Wori and Un'gyongi, a saddening story of separations and the search of a reconciliation of sorts. This story in particular kept returning to my thoughts, blending melancholy, lighthouses, the sea.

'The Dog of Crossover Village', (Mongnomi maul ui kae), published in Seoul in 1948 was his second collection of short stories, most of them concerning post war era Korea, with the sudden end of Japan's thirty five years of occupation, on August 15th 1945. The title story, written in March 1947, follows a group of travellers as they make their way to Manchuria, they reach a remote village, and the narrative picks up on a stray dog in it's search for food around the village. At first the dog is kicked aside by some of the farmhands, rumour soon spreads around the village of a rabid stray dog, that has a blue tint to it's eyes (a sign that it's rabid). A hunt ensues, and some of the villager's own dogs go missing, fearing that their dogs have turned rabid like the visiting stray, on their return, the villager's string up their dogs and with a family from a neighbouring village have a dog day feast. The story ends up, being fable-like, telling that the stray dogs pups still live in the village, and I liked the way the narrative effortlessly moves from various perspectives.

'Lost Souls',(Iroborin saram tul), Hwang's sixth collection was published in 1958 and primarily looks at the Korean War and it's aftermath. The title story 'Lost Souls', is the tale of Sogi and Suni, lovers who are separated when Suni is selected to be the concubine for a neighbouring families dying father. Borrowing money from his mother and telling her he's going on a trip, Sogi and Suni run away to start a new life. Establishing themselves in a neighbouring village, a relative of the dying man recognises Sogi and along with other members of the family they confront Sugi, telling him that the old man has since died,and therefore he should be punished for taking the old man's concubine, deciding that cutting off Sugi's topknot is not sufficient punishment they decide to cut off his ear instead. The couple meet more misfortune as the story progresses, and by the end, the narrative again changes, ending this tragic story into a fable like tale, that has been passed down from generation to generation, perhaps it was.

Hwang Sunwon was both a modern and traditional story writer, often experimenting with writing styles and read translations of Camus, Hemmingway and had an especial liking for Shiga Naoya. Often likened to Kawabata's shorter fiction, reading these stories brought to mind the short stories of Ibuse Masuji, especially the stories with a rural setting, 'House', reminding me in particular of 'Old Ushitora'. But like Kawabata and Ibuse, Hwang's stories transcend their native setting and have a universal humanistic element, although his stories remain distinctively Korean. I'll have to admit that I've not read many Korean authors yet,hopefully next year I'll remedy that, there's alot of titles that I'd like to read, maybe a translation of Lee Eung-joon's 'The Private Life of the Nation', will appear. Reading 'Lost Souls' has been an excellent starting point to a literature that I've only just started to explore.


Columbia University Press


Korean Literature Translation Institute

Tuesday 15 December 2009

A Late Chrysanthemum















A collection containing stories selected and translated by Lane Dunlop, twenty one stories by seven authors, many of the stories that appear here are included in various anthologies, but still an interesting collection. The cover is from a woodblock by Masako Tanaka. Originally published by North Point Press back in 1986, and then republished in an edition by Tuttle in 1988, I think. The four stories by Shiga Naoya appear in 'The Paper Door & other Stories' which I've still not read yet, 'At Kinosaki' in particular, a writer involved in an accident with a trolley car, recuperates at the hot springs in Kinosaki, he spends time reflecting on his near death experience, one morning spotting a dead wasp on the roof of the entryway,and seeing the indifference the other wasps have regarding the corpse of their fellow he begins to find an unexpected repose. Then an episode with a duck, killed by children throwing stones at it, prompts the narrator further into his examinations of mortality. Ozaki Shiro (1897-1964), an author I can't find much available in English, although, Irena Powell's 'A Writer's War: Ozaki Shiro in China 1937-39', could be a good starting point, if I could track down a copy, has two stories. In 'The Wagtails Nest', Ozaki intertwines Minasato's growing desire for a young woman with that of his pinching of a wagtail's chicks, although he suspects a fellow villager maybe pinching from the nest too. In his mind he knows that like the young wagtails in the nest, the young woman will one day be snatched away from him. Kawabata's three short pieces are also in 'Palm of the Hand Stories'.
 
Another author included here that I can't find much else by is, Shimaki Kensaku, I think maybe his first story 'Leprosy' is included in some other collections, but he has four stories included in this one all have an autobiographical tone, observations on the comings and goings of insects, mainly seen from his sick bed cause a series of introspective episodes, my favourite piece 'The Black Cat', the narrator (Shimaki?), recuperating in bed reading of a mysterious huge cat in a nature magazine, is soon plagued by a real life menacing cat invading his house. Shimaki's pieces reminded me a lot of the observational pieces of Dazai who also appears later in this collection. Next is the title story, A Late Chrysanthemum, by Hayashi Fumiko, a poetess also famous for her 1951 novel 'Floating Clouds'. Kin, an ageing woman, ex-geisha who lives alone with her mute maid receives a visit from a man from her past, Tabe, now married to a young woman, is in financial trouble, reduced to begging for money from her to the degree that his has to keep his murderous intentions in check. This is the longest story in the volume and it's a great sample of Hayashi's writing which I'd like to read more of. Dazai Osamu probably needs no introduction, his four short pieces have surfaced in other collections too, also by various translators, 'Memories' appears in 'Crackling Mountain and Other Stories' translated by James O'Brien, (another book for reading next year), a piece about his childhood, focusing on his observations of his immediate family. Also here is 'A Golden Picture' which appears also in 'Self Portraits' translated by Ralph F. McCarthy, his if I remember rightly was a longer translation. Included is Dazai's short story 'Chiyojo' which I can't actually seem to see elsewhere.
 
Lastly Kobo Abe's three stories - 'The Red Cocoon', (from 1950), 'The Flood' and 'The Stick' appear elsewhere. In 'The Stick', a man accidently falls from a railing, when he lands he's transformed into a stick, picked up by a teacher and then is the object of philosophical inquiry by two students. Interestingly Kobo Abe is missing in the 'notes on the authors' section. I think this interesting collection is now out of print, which is a shame, as juxtaposes some well known stories/authors alongside some lesser known names. After reading collections like these, I usually end up wanting to track down several other books as a result, which I guess I'll do.

Sunday 6 December 2009

Hojoki













Hojoki, also known as, 'An Account of my Hut', is a 13th century essay by Kamo no Chomei, a monk who turned away from society and became a recluse, constructing a hut on a mountain side, on the outskirts of Kyoto. An important work as it offers first hand accounts of historical events that took place whilst he was writing it, also containing his own observations of his life. Although it can be seen as a chronicle of the events of his time, it's not strictly a historical document, the second half of the book, (and it's a slim volume), he reflects on why he's turned away from the world, and describes the nature around his hut, and explores the spirituality of the ascetic existence. Henry David Thoreau's  'Walden', is sometimes likened to it.

It starts with an observation similar to one made by
Heraclitus, and follows with giving examples of the impermanence of life and living. Then gives an account of some things he has seen in his 40 years, whilst he lived in the city, the great fire of Jisho 1 (1177), which engulfed the old capital, destroying buildings and taking the lives of the people who were caught by it. Also a whirlwind that hit the capital in 1180, noting the destruction to property, houses being reduced to their bare frames, and observes the human suffering. As the year 1180 came to an end, the Imperial Court was moved from Heian-kyo to Fukuhara, and Chomei writes of the anxiety that it caused the people, great mansions and buildings were dismantled and floated down the Yodo River, to the capital's new location. After this disruption, the then Emperor, (Emperor Takakura or Emperor Antoku?), decides to return the capital back to Heian-kyo. Due to drought a famine broke out in the area and the frustration and sufferings of the people are mentioned, some giving up farming due to the unsuccessful crop, the famine was harsh, as he observes people walking in the street would drop dead due to the starvation, the corpses stacked up along the banks of the Kamo river. In 1185 a earthquake hit Kyoto causing huge devastation, recalling a tragic scene involving the death of a child crushed by a collapsing wall. After the initial quake, Chomei notes that the number of after quakes was nearly 20-30 tremors a day, taking up to three months for the quake to completely dissipate.

In the second part of this short book Chomei tells us of his frugal life, turning his attention to more spiritual reflection, and how he came to choose a life of seclusion, at the age of fifty he built his own dwelling, as he could no longer afford the up keep of a house passed on to him, and then when he's sixty years old, he builds his hut, roughly ten foot square, and if needs be could be moved on two carts. He gives a little tour of his hut, and it's setting, and his observations of the changing seasons, which provokes his thinking concerning his own transience. He explains that he rarely travels into the capital anymore, but when he does he returns feeling sorry for the people living there, rushing around in the pursuit of wealth and honour. Initially he hadn't intended to stay in his hut for a long time, but at the time of writing, he has stayed five years. There are many different editions of this interesting book about, but I think the most recent is the one at Stone Bridge Press.



Friday 4 December 2009

In the Woods Beneath Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom




Ango Sakaguchi, (1906-1955), probably Niigata's most well known writer, another being the poet Nishiwaki Junzaburo, whose poetry I hope to read soon, but I thought it about time to read his 'In the Woods Beneath the Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom', written in 1947. I've seen the film adaption by Masahiro Shinoda, and now after reading the story, realize that the film is a very close rendering of this short story. Sakaguchi is often associated with the writer Osamu Dazai, and the Burai-ha, Sakaguchi came to prominence with his essay 'Darakuron/On Decadence', published in 1946 in which he observed how, immediately after the war that the wartime morality had lifted, the Japanese were exploring paths to finding a newer truth. At first I found it hard to accept the premise to this fable like story, in which Sakaguchi turns the enjoyment of sitting under the cherry blossoms and transforms them into objects of horror, inducing those who visit them into a frenzied like state, 'gasping for breath'. I remarked to someone, it's a bit far fetched isn't it, they replied have you been on your own in the middle of night in a cherry blossom orchard?, I confessed I hadn't, I began likening the falling petals to the constant motion of falling snow, and started to doubt my own incredulity.

The basic outline to the story, is that of a fearless bandit who lives in the mountains, scared of nothing except for the feelings of dread and an almost supernatural terror he feels when going under the cherry blossoms in bloom. One day he comes across a beautiful woman and her husband travelling through the mountains, robbing them and then becoming overawed by the woman's beauty, instead of just beating the man, he kills him and makes her his wife. He takes her to his house in the mountains, she demands to be carried on his back, when they arrive she discovers that he has seven other wives that he has gathered over time. Pointing out one of his wives, she demands that he kill her, stating, 'You killed my husband, and now you can't kill your own wife?' when he tries to refuse, one by one she makes him slaughter all his previous wives, sparing one as a maid. The cherry trees seem to coax him to come to them, his new wife taunts him for his ignorance of the refined way of life in Kyoto, he ends up being intimidated by the notion of Kyoto and she lays down the gauntlet to him, 'If you were really the man you think you are you'd take me to Kyoto, with your strength you could surround me with the stylish things of the capital that I crave'...

In Kyoto she quickly gets bored of the jewels and kimonos he steals for her, demanding he start bringing her the heads of the people he stole them from, soon she has a collection of heads that she makes re-enact scenes from their lives, in horrific mimicry. The man gets bored of the killing, to the point of it loosing it's meaning, and being ridiculed for his uncouth country ways by the city folk begins to crave again for his life back in the mountains. He persuades his wife to return, and as they near his house, she makes him carry her on his back, just like when they had first met. Walking under the cherry trees, he feels a dreadful cold, and turning to look at his wife he sees that she has turned into a horrific devil, he tries to shake her off, but she holds on tighter, he manages to throw her, and sets upon her with his hands around her neck, until the life has gone from her. Looking down he sees that she has returned to being his wife. Sitting there as the cherry blossoms begin to fall and cover his wife, he finds that his fear and anxiety have faded and begins to feel the elation of relief from dispelling the two things he most fears. It's a strange, beguiling short story, there are many different interpretations of this allegorical fable which is filled with a symbolism which contrasts pre and post war sensibility and morality. There's not too many translations of Sakaguchi's work into English, although there are some scattered around in various anthologies, it would be great to see them one day gathered in a collected volume. I read the translation by Roger Pulvers in a stand alone edition published only in Japan, although Jay Rubin's translation of this story is available in the  Oxford Book of Japanese Stories.



Ango Sakaguchi museum (in Japanese)

by James Dorsey and Douglas Slaymaker
 
 

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Nami-Ko














Kenjiro Tokutomi, 1868-1927 who's also known as Roka Tokutomi was the younger brother of Soho Tokutomi who was an eminent historian. Nami-Ko was serialized initially in the Kokumin Shimbun between 1898-1899, it's Japanese name was Hototogisu, (Cuckoo). The translation done by Sakae Shioya and E.F Edgett of this Yurakusha 1905 edition is a little dated now, but it's still a very readable novel. Kenjiro Tokutomi was a great admirer of the works of Tolstoy, he translated him into Japanese and even visited Tolstoy at Yasnaya Polyana, the novel has a western influence to it. Shadowed by the Sino-Japan war it follows Nami-Ko just married to Baron Takeo Kawashima,a naval officer, as they honeymoon around Mount Akagi , telling of her childhood, her birth mother died when she was eight years old, and her step mother never liked her, scolding Nami-Ko and at times ridiculing her dead mother, marrying Takeo was a relief to escape from her. Whilst out collecting ferns on their honeymoon, Takeo's cousin Chijiwa finds them and whilst Takeo leaves them alone to fetch a cane he forgot, Chijiwa questions Nami over the letter he sent to her, it's revealed that Chijiwa had intended to propose to Nami, but his cousin beat him to it, Chijiwa's unwanted attentions upset her, but she tells him that his letter will remain a secret as she put it in the fire, a source of great bitterness for Chijiwa he accuses that she only married the Baron for his money.

After Chijiwa has left them he meets up with Hyozo Yamaki, 'a gentleman merchant' who appears to be an unscrupulous man, with all sorts of shady dealings, his daughter O-Toyo has always had feelings for Baron Takeo and dislikes Nami. Baron Takeo's father we learn died in the Restoration War, and his widowed mother suffers from rheumatism, soon after they return from their honeymoon, Takeo is called away for duty, Nami has to stay with her mother-in law. Takeo learns that Chijiwa is gaining a bad reputation, falling into debt, military secrets have leaked, and Chijiwa has been seen around the stock exchange. Baron Takeo is seen as a figure of incorruptibility, leaving early from a party held by Hyozo Yamaki, repulsed by the drunken behavior. Takeo learns that Chijiwa forged his official seal to raise funds from a promissory note to pay off a debt, Takeo chastises Chijiwa, paying off the debt for him, but severing their relationship, and telling him he won't make it public. Nami-Ko falls ill to consumption and Takeo is called up again,and whilst he's away Chijiwa plans his revenge, and hearing that Nami is gravely ill he meets Takeo's mother, who has never liked Nami and has been jealous of the attention Takeo has given her, Chijiwa suggests that maybe Takeo and Nami should be divorced as her illness threatens the family line of the Kawashima's. They go behind Takeo's back and seek consent for the divorce from Nami's father telling him that Takeo knows and has agreed to it, he gives his consent and Nami is 'called back' to her family home.

At the out break of the Sino-Japanese War Takeo sees action at the Battle of the Yalu River.  Nami is devastated by her situation, her consumption worsens. Takeo is injured during the battle, and convalesces at Saseho. Yamaki taking full advantage of Takeo's absence and trying to work his way into the wealthy Kawashima family, sends his daughter to Takeo's mothers residence, to have her trained as a maid, and a possible second wife for Takeo, but Toyo is not popular with Takeo's mother who's estrangement from her son, soon leaves her questioning her actions. Once Takeo's injury has healed he doesn't return home, instead he goes back to his ship. Recovering at Sagami Bay, Nami grows more and more despondent, contemplating the early death of her real mother, and the separation from her husband, Nami concludes that maybe death is the only way she can find happiness,standing at the cliff edge, staring out at the sea, she imagines Takeo out there, perhaps her spirit may reach him...


Tokutomi, in his later years moved to the country,and like Tolstoy became reclusive, a prolific translator and writer, his last book 'Fuji', an autobiography was written with his wife Akio, although he died before it was completed. Interested in Christianity, he was baptized when he was seventeen, his writing is also noted for his fascination with nature. I think two other of his books are available in translation; 'Footprints in the Snow' and 'Nature and Man', which hopefully I'll read in the future.


To read Nami-ko online please see the Japanese Literature: Online Translations post.