I remember struggling to understand the complexities of Kenzaburo Ōe when I was younger.  He was, I believe, my first exposure to any kind of Japanese culture outside of video games.  Ōe’s problems, solutions and concerns – not to mention his thoughts, feelings and sympathies – were quite different to mine, and the book, The Silent Cry, almost beat me.  Years later, the exoticism remains, but the complexities have softened, and now I understand.

-16 October 2015

This post is part of the I Remember series.