An Author’s Fictionalised Experiences:
The Novels of Ōe Kenzaburō by Yasuko Claremont
All his life Gustave Flaubert claimed that only the story counted and that its author should disappear without trace behind it, but however passionately a writer may assure that her or his work has nothing whatsoever to do with her or his life, such complete objectivity is an illusion. It’s impossible to achieve because nobody’s soul is an empty slate. Every word that a person jots down, be it on the spur of the moment or after long thought, be it in fiction or non-fiction, inevitably mirrors past experiences, education and views. To truly understand a literary work it can therefore be helpful to know the biography of its author, notably when the writings are complex or full of symbolism. In her critical study The Novels of Ōe Kenzaburō Yasuko Claremont from the University of Sydney analyses the literary oeuvre that the recipient of the 1994 Nobel Prize in literature produced between 1957 through 2006 and links it with important events in the Japanese author’s private life beginning in his childhood.
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I have only read Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, (http://keepthewisdom.blogspot.com/2011/07/nip-buds-shoot-kids.html) so for me this book would also mean more after I have read more of his books. And that I intend to do!
ReplyDeleteWell, the critical study helped me to better understand The Changeling, but it's certainly true that having read more of Ōe's works the benefit is greater.
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