Yet he remained who he was, and his refusal to change his writing marks him today for we remember him and not his critics. Censorships and criticism were very high and Oda repeatedly faced the frustration of having his works banned from publication. You see, Oda wrote primarily surrounding the era of WW2. At such times it became the government’s duty to punish them for their impertinence.” (Watson)īy associating himself with this style, Oda was setting himself up with confrontation. “turned out works reflecting not the ideals of society but is deplorable realities, works flippant in tone and scandalous in content. We are our own reminders of our imperfections, and rather then lament that, Oda decided to rejoice in it. They are attached to the unattractive rocks and no machine can separate them and like diamonds, they are found in abundance. They are the diamonds in the rough found in the mines. They are not the uncut gems ready to be manufactured into priceless gemstones. The contrast he displays with the concrete, realistic descriptions of the surrounding environment of Osaka and the malleable nature of his characters sets in the idea that humans are not ideals. Why does someone act the way they do? What could possibly influence them? What pushes their limits? His writing seeks to provide a subtle explanation, and as a result, the reader approaches each character without judgement. One who wondered why in the place of judgement. And yet underlying the surface levity we sense the author’s deep sympathy for the human beings portrayed.” (Watson)įrom the stories, you get the sense that Oda the writer was a curious soul. In keeping with the gesaku tradition, his treatment of such subjects is marked by a light handed and ironic touch, carefully avoiding anything that hints at the lugubrious. For this reason, he deliberately chose to focus upon society’s bunglers and misfits, those who because of some flaw in their background or some unconventional turn of behaviour are fated to endure loneliness, frustration, or ostracism. “Oda saw himself as a shin-gesaku or new gesaku-style writer, carrying on this tradition of defince, thumbing his nose at ideologues and arbiters of public morality alike. He describes Oda’s writing akin to how Oda saw himself, Burton Watson, the translator, in his introduction to the collection, gives the reader an understanding of Oda’s writing. Putting this story as the first one in this book is smart because it gives the reader a good idea of Oda’s writing style. Not necessarily a hidden meaning, but more then what the story is presenting to you. This duel meaning, while maintain the air of light heartedness, reminds the reader that there is a duel meaning to the story. So, a restaurant Meoto Zenzai is actually one recipe served in two dishes. However, Zenzai is also the name of a sweet dish made from adzuki beans. Meoto means husband and wife while zenzai means an exclamation of approval. Sweet Beans for two or Hurray for Marriage! But they are amazing stories that begs for more translations of his works. Though Oda has written numerous books during his life, this collection only features 4 of them. I knew I would, but just that satisfaction that this would be one of the best books of the year is an amazing feeling to have.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |