Now Japanese writers are very popular,as Haruki Murakami and Ryu Murakami, but the modern reader probably does not know that the history of the new Japanese prose in Russia began not with them. In its origins were the works of Akutagawa Ryunosuke. We will talk about these three personalities in this article. Since the first can be rightfully classified as "modern Japanese writers," it is first worth discussing the work of Akutogawa and his two compositions: "The Life of an Idiot" and "Cogwheels."
For those who are more or less familiar with the Japaneseliterature, it will not be news that the plot does not occupy the most important place in it. This, for example, is the poetry of Basho. In fact, these are only observations that are definitely rhymed in a certain way. And if we open, for example, "The Life of an Idiot", then we stumble upon exactly the same prose. The book consists of very small stories-sketches. Only after reading them all there is an integral picture in the reader's head. The focus of Akutagawa's work is that both the sketches are of themselves valuable, and the big picture.
What is the connection between the prose of Ryunosuke and FedorMikhailovich? First, Akutagawa knew and loved Russian literature well, and secondly, the Japanese writer, like the Russian, portrayed the existence of a person in marginal and border situations, where life comes in contact with insanity and death. The cruelty of the "Toothed wheels" is also that they are autobiographical.
"Cogwheels" and "Life of an Idiot" are samplesdying prose writer. He died early, at age 35, he took a lethal dose of Veronal. In a literal and figurative sense, they gave up their nerves. But this does not mean that his prose is interesting only to psychologists, psychiatrists and doctors, not at all. Akugatava's prose will appeal to all those who are not indifferent to real, good literature and the ultimate, "damned" questions of human existence. And now it's time to talk about the theme "Japanese modern writers".
Modern Japanese authors, although they retained a certain national identity, but have become very "Western": their works are mainly plot, which is reflected in our narrative.
"Country of Miracles ..." is like a long fall ina rabbit hole. The main character is a special kind of encryption specialist called shuffling. The essence of the method is that the text is coded through a story that exists only in the head of the shuffler, and this happens unconsciously. However, the professor-inventor of the method found out that all the specialists, except the protagonist, died during the experiment. And the whole book the scientist tries to save him. To do this, they descend into the underworld, the passage into which opens in the professor's closet, meets with terrifying creatures, spreading chilling fear, fleeing from the slowly overtaking flood, climb the rope ladder to the high tower.
And the main character decides to stay in the innerthe world of his head, which means the death of the body. This story unfolds in every second chapter of the book and at first it has nothing to do with the main story.
In the head of the hero there is a whole city, aroundit is a high wall. The locals have such a custom: each person has to cut off the shadow. The hero gets a job as a librarian in this city. Its main function is to read old dreams placed in the skulls of dead animals.
No one can leave the city, for the wall is high,and the shadow lives apart from a person for not more than a week. But the main character, even finding a way out, can not leave this closed world, which will disappear if he remains alive.
Such are the strange subjects that Japanese writers prefer today, then everything will be "miracles and wanderers", as L. Carroll said.
Perhaps, the most famous work of the author.A novel about two children. They were fortunate enough to survive after their mothers were left with newborn infants in storage cells. They are almost the same age, very similar and have the same psychological problems: fear of closed space and related difficulties.
Once these people were treated with the sounds of heartbeatpregnant woman, but then in the turmoil of their lives they have forgotten this sound. But he was searched all his life. It took them a lot to go through to remember it. One brother had to live in the contaminated part of the city, where a touch to painted red objects and surfaces promises a slow and painful death, and also to find the poisonous gas "Datura" and poison a multimillion city, sow chaos.
The second had to go a long way:become a superstar, cut off the tip of the tongue, go insane, accidentally kill your own mother and go to jail. And all this only to realize that any mother gives her child a message: "Live, my heart beats for you."
For the reader, far from philological delights,only one question is important about who to choose for reading in the evening. The answer suggests itself: depending on what a person wants to get from acquaintance with Japanese prose.
For example, modern authorshere, you can read on weekdays, after a tiring day. Despite the flamboyance of the plot, their works do not require intellectual tension from the reader. Accordingly, Akutagawa should be moved on weekends, when the reader's head will be fresh and receptive to the beauty of the style. In extreme cases, you can get a notebook, (or a sheet of paper) on the cover of which will be written: "Japanese writer and a schedule reading his works." If it is difficult for a person to decide, let him try to observe the system in his self-education.
