Tuesday, May 16, 2006

kenzaburo oe & other japanese authors, an e-mail

i had received e-mails... apart from that CAN update (gracias beto! that was freaking smooth nice loud) here posted the best on japanese literature so far my friend (whose name i shall keep secret, as in any good suspense plot) is a beautiful girl from japan, and a rather sweet one she gave me for my birthday a copy of kenzaburo oe's 'teach us to outgrow our madness' since she knows (and actually thanks to her) that my admiration for japanese authors has been growing as i type, even if with typos, ha!

anyway, enough of my stupidity and to her lovely words
tomorrow i will add links to the books she mentions in her informatively charming e-mail...

Hi, Bere. I wanted to tell you little bit about the author of the book I gave you as a birthday present.

He is sort of rebel like Mishima Yukio who wrote Spring Snow. And of course that is why I bought you that book by Kenzaburo Oe. I am not sure if the book I gave you was a novel or not. (It seems like it is a novel... but not sure) I am not sure if you enjoy reading essays but I hope you will enjoy reading his book if it is not a novel. He also write novels and essays.

Kenzaburo Oe was the second Japanese person who got nobel prize for literature after the very first Japanese writer, Yasunari Kawabata who wrote very beautiful novels. I didn't buy books by Yasunari Kawabata because it can be too simple for you. hahaha :-) But I thought Kawabata's novels are sort of like the ones from Yukio Mishima.

Kenzo Oe used to say things like, "I don't want to get any prizes from Japanese governement.", "We should abandon The Japan Art Academy." and so on, which is very radical. Doesn't it sort of remind of Yukio Mishima? He wasn't political radicals like Mishima but he says what he believes in public in radical way.

The book I bought for you was the most popular one in his books among Americans. When I checked Japanese website, another his book was #1. So as you said about translations in movies, translations and cultures we live affect what we like.

I hope you will enjoy the book.

I am glad to hear that you enjoy Kurosawa movies. It is too bad that we don't have great directors from Japan. I never seen his movies except one you showed me, Dreams. I also want to introduce some Japanese movies but it is hard because DVDs from Japan doesn't work here in USA and vice versa.

Regarding to translation, yes, I think there are a lot of things are lost in translation. One of reasons I won't see "Memories of Geisha" is that Kyoto diarect is so different and itself is culture. Even in Japanese, Kyoto accecent is necessary to feel Geisha. I don't know how this movie can show special things about Kyoto in English. When I was watching "Dirty Dancing" last night, I wished to speak Spanish but I don't have enough time for that. Sucks that I have to go to school and I am old... Because I don't see Japanese movies, I am not sure how Japanese movies are translated but I assume it is different.

Oh, besides Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki films are good but those are animation but really good.

How do you think about Mexican or Latina movies? I think they are good at Sex movies and Comedies. :-)

Mishima Yukio directed only one movie. He was actor too in several movies. You might be interested in his movies. Or maybe it disappoint you. :-) His novels became movies too. They just made Spring Snow movie last year.

I mentioned Yasunari Kawabata, the very first Japanese novel prize winner for literature. I just learned that Mishima wanted to married his daughter but he didn't care and he was cold to Mishima. So he didn't like him, I guess. Kawabata also commited suicide and people believe that the fact he saw the death of Mishima affected him and it led to him to commit suicide.

Takeshi Kitano is also famous director but I am not sure if you like his movies. He is younger. So his movies are not old at all but most of the time, violent.

and this my friend and her e-mail...
she sends more
i am a lucky mexican after all

tomorrow will try to finally make up a way to tribute
that parrot, the flaubert's one, i am almost done with the book
not sure if tonight but by the end of this week for sure

julian barnes 'flaubert's parrot' and a guinness at the ould sod
to close the UK chapter

to open the japanese again?
or shall my next book be... mexican?

i have an eye on El Orgasmógrafo (love the name)
by Enrique Serna
futuristic cruel tales 'exploring the imaginary erotic prisons of the man in a perverse future where humans must have a quote of orgasms to be part of an ideal society', interesting concept indeed.... can't wait for some fresh mexican narrative

for tonight back to beloved barnes.... ah what a freaking delight of a writer...