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Our Assessment:
B+ : far-ranging and nicely thought-provoking See our review for fuller assessment.
From the Reviews: - Return to top of the page - The complete review's Review:
Japanese-born author Tawada Yoko famously writes in both Japanese and German, a rare example of the truly bilingual writer.
(While there are many writers who have switched languages, and quite a few who write in two languages but tend towards writing fiction in one and non-fiction in the other, Tawada has been strikingly successful (and productive) in writing in both languages, both fiction and non (with some poetry thrown in for good measure).)
When my friends look at the books I've written in Japanese, it bothers me that these are the words that stand out to them, because they are the only words they can read. That's why I decided that none of my characters will ever wear T-shirts or listen to CDs anymore. It's actually quite inconvenient. The other option, of course, would be to double down and use even more English words, so that pointless words like T-shirt and CD won't stand out as much.She's also fascinated by the connections between the Chinese and Japanese writing-systems -- at one point noting: I'd secretly hoped to escape the world of distorted Katakana loan words and immerse myself in the beautiful world of Kanji -- only to discover that Kanji were themselves simplified and distorted versions of Chinese. The more I thought about it, the more the Japanese language in which I write and think in every day began to seem like some fake thing bought on the black market.But it's also these connections and difference between languages that particularly fascinate her, as is also very clear in the second part of the book, when she discusses German language and usage, resorting constantly also to comparisons with the Japanese. Translation comes up repeatedly -- but Tawada perhaps puts it most succinctly early on, when she admits: I'm not interested in studying lots of languages. To me, more than the languages themselves, it's the space between languages that's most important. Maybe what I really want is not to be a writer of this or that language in particular, but to fall into the poetic ravine between them.This comes across well in this little volume, the real-life experiences, encounters, and observations exploring the many different facets of these spaces. Admirably, too, Tawada remains open to the new, constantly pushing boundaries and exploring possibilities. (So also, presumably one more reason she has not turned to writing in English is that she finds: "It would be extremely boring if the world were to be completely overtaken by English, that shallow business language that can be understood anywhere".) As she mentions incidentally, too, she feels: "There's really no point in writing normal novels", and this sense of looking to go beyond the simple, 'normal' is found throughout here. Though with a definite Japanese-and-German Schwerpunkt, Tawada brings in discussion of many other languages in as well, making for a far-ranging tour and exploration. The short pieces, tied to specific experiences, especially in the first part of the book, are engaging and often thought-provoking riffs. It all makes for a quite fascinating and entertaining collection. - M.A.Orthofer, 5 June 2025 - Return to top of the page - Exophony:
- Return to top of the page - Tawada Yoko (多和田葉子) was born in Tokyo in 1960 and moved to Germany when she was 22. She writes in both Japanese and German. - Return to top of the page -
© 2025 the complete review
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