1.Prologue
Although I am now mostly based in Japan, my Greek father’s job as a diplomat meant that I spent most of my childhood moving from country to country.
Thanks to those experiences, I became fluent in Greek, Japanese, and English, and I also know enough French and German to be able to read the literature.
The region of Europe as a whole has a foundation of Greek and Roman (Latin) culture, with a thick layer of Christianity applied on top. There is a shared historical background to much of the European continent.
In addition, you have traces of all of the regional cultures from long ago, as well as the influence of Islamic culture mixed in. It is a very complex cultural and linguistic system.
In contrast, Japan sees itself as a mostly homogenous society (Ryukyu and Ainu notwithstanding) with a mostly homogenous culture (with major cultural influence from China and the Korean peninsula).
All the more reason why it is imperative that the Japanese learn about the relative cultural diversity of a place like Europe if it is to weather the age of globalization.
Speaking of cultural diversity, the permanently neutral country of Switzerland is a good example. While it has its own distinct literature, it is also a place with four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. It even has an official Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica.
Another way to become acquainted with the cultural diversity in the world is through literature. Now, in general, I am not a fan of authoritative literary awards.
I’m especially skeptical of the Nobel Prize in Literature. While it has been a favorite topic of discussion for the Japanese in recent years, I find that the politics have just become too much. Yet, I recognize that there are works by Nobel laureates that are truly wonderful and deserving of attention. In this article I’d like to write about some of the award-winning novels that have changed my life—specifically, by novelists that have won the Nobel Prize, and novels that have won the prestigious British Man Booker Prize.
2.The Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature is presented by the Swedish Academy, one of Sweden’s Royal Academies founded to promote the arts, culture, and science. Since 1901, it has been awarded annually to the author (and not a specific book) that has produced “in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." While it is considered one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, it has many detractors. The Swedish Academy, whose members are all Swedish, has been criticized for being biased towards European authors, as well as being prejudiced against authors who do not share their political views. And in 2018, as the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum, an author who is married to a board member was accused of sexual misconduct, as well as of leaking the names of prize recipients. The scandal ultimately resulted in the announcement that the selection for 2018 would be postponed until 2019.
3.Hermann Hesse (German/Swiss)
Herman Hesse was one of the best-known German novelists and poets of the 20th century. His work dealt with themes such as the exploration of identity, self-actualization, and spiritual journeys. He won the Nobel Prize in 1946, which led to him gradually garnering a global reputation as an author. In the U.S., his work became associated with the 1960s counterculture (i.e., hippie movement), and came to be read among the youth.
●Beneath the Wheel (1905)
As a boy approaching his teens, Hesse was torn between his desire to become a poet and the societal pressure to focus on his studies. He began to suffer from insomnia and neurosis, which would eventually cause him to run away from seminary. Later, he would attempt suicide, and subsequently spend time in a mental institution. These childhood experiences served as the basis for Beneath the Wheel. The book challenges a society where adults demand that their children focus on their academic education, spurning any opportunities for personal growth as a human being. To Japanese students currently forgoing sleep to study for entrance exams: if you’re going to be forgoing sleep anyway, you might as well use that extra time to read this book.
4.André Gide (France)
Gide was one of France’s greatest authors of the 20th century. His own struggles to fully be himself within the narrow conventions of society is reflected in much of his work. At a time when homosexuality was seen as a disease by French society, he attempted to come to terms with his own sexuality through his work. In the 1920s he would publish a series of essays defending homosexuality, and in his autobiography he would detail his own sexual awakening. He won the Nobel Prize in 1947.
●Strait is the Gate (1909)
A young boy falls in love with his cousin, whose younger sister develops a love for him. This triangle of unrequited love is characterized by hesitation, self-restraint, mental anguish, and self-sacrifice. The title comes from a phrase in the New Testament where Jesus refers to a “strait gate" or “narrow gate" to salvation. The cousin basically interprets this to mean that there is no room for two people in love to pass through the gate together, and she ultimately gives up on the love she shares with the protagonist. Gide is warning us against such “narrow" interpretations of morality.
5.Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia)
García Márquez is a Colombian novelist known as one of the standard-bearers of magical realism. Magical realism is a style of fiction that characterized much of the Latin American literature of the time, and is where magic or fantastical elements are woven into a mundane, everyday setting. When García Márquez won the Nobel Prize in 1982, he gave an acceptance speech entitled “The Solitude of Latin America", in which he talked about Latin America’s history of colonization by European countries. He pointed out that despite the fact that many Latin Americans focus their efforts on achieving a better life for themselves, they continue to be looked down upon by those in developed countries, especially in Europe. In that way, he said, Latin America remains solitary.
●One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)
This book is set in the fictional Colombia town of Macondo, and depicts the life of its founder, as well as the lives of several generations of his family across 100 years of prosperity and decline. It is García Márquez’s masterpiece. It launched a Latin American literature craze, and has been listed by many as one of the greatest works of world literature of all time. With the immigrant caravan from Central America currently in limbo at the border between Mexico and the U.S., this book has become more important than ever before.
6.John Maxwell Coetzee (South Africa)
Coetzee is a South African novelist and linguist who has depicted the reality of colonialism and its resultant impact through his experimental and allegorical style. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2003. He has also been awarded the prestigious Man Booker Prize twice.
●Life & Times of Michael K (1983)
Set in South Africa during Apartheid, this is the story of Michael, a poor man with a cleft lip who is trying to make his way through life against the backdrop of a fictional civil war. Michael decides to leave the city and take his sick mother (whom he carries using a makeshift rickshaw) back to her birthplace. Along the way, he must come to terms with the baggage he carries, including his attachment to his mother and his search for meaning in life. This book was awarded the Booker Prize.
●Disgrace (1999)
Set in a post-Apartheid South Africa, this is the story of a white professor and his daughter trying to weather the changing times. Like Life & Times of Michael K, this is the story of human beings trying to move on while carrying the burden of shame. The protagonist loses everything, and as he attempts to feel his way around the dark in search of salvation, he struggles to come to terms with a post-Apartheid reality. Due to its depictions of racial strife and racism, some criticized the book at the time it was published for giving South Africa a bad reputation. In 1999 it was awarded the Booker Prize, and the criticism died down somewhat.
7.Kazuo Ishiguro
The Japanese-born British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki Prefecture. His family immigrated to the U.K. when he was five years old. His stories are mostly written in the first person, and deal with themes such as memory and human failures. Other than two of his early works that are set in Japan, his country of origin does not figure into his stories in a major way. However, he has said that growing up in a Japanese household in the U.K. has given him a different perspective to those around him. The news of Ishiguro being awarded the Nobel Prize in 2017 was greatly celebrated in Japan, and in 2018 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.
●The Remains of the Day (1989)
This book is about the decline of the aristocratic class amid the economic recovery and social change in postwar Britain. A butler who had dedicated his life to serving a recently deceased Lord recounts past experiences, and reflects on the fading away of the upper class establishment, and his own sense of duty regarding his profession. The book was awarded the Booker Prize in 1989. In 1993, it was turned into a film, which was nominated for several Academy Awards.
●Never Let Me Go (2005)
This book is about organ donors who have been cloned specifically for the purpose of donating their organs when needed. The story is a love triangle centered on two organ donors and a carer who looks after them. In one sense it is a science fiction film, but in another sense it is a horror story: the system that governs the protagonists is presented as completely matter-of-fact. Somewhat of an unexpected turn from Ishiguro, he has said that he was inspired by a cloning experiment conducted in the U.K. in the 90s using a sheep. When a Chinese scientist made the stunning claim that he had successfully edited a human embryo’s DNA, it became clear to me that the day isn’t far off when something like this story could actually happen. (Or maybe, it is already happening.)
8.The Man Booker Prize
The Booker Prize is a British literary prize awarded to the best published novel of that year. Originally, it was limited to English-language novels published by Commonwealth, Irish, and South African authors, but since 2014, all English-language novels have become eligible, regardless of the author’s nationality. The prize has been administered by the Booker Prize Foundation since 2002.
9.Salman Rushdie (India/U.K.)
Rushdie writes novels that are mostly set on the Indian subcontinent, using magical realism to bring to life fictional stories set against the backdrop of historical events. His work is characterized by his exploration of the relationship between the West and the East. Rushdie was raised Muslim but later became an atheist, and his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which was inspired in part by the life of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, triggered a outrage among the Muslim population. Ayatollah Khomeini, then the Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a fatwa, ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie, and subsequently there were a number of attempts on his life. Japanese professor Igarashi Hitoshi at Tsukuba University, who had translated the book into Japanese, was stabbed to death on the Tsukuba campus on July 11th, 1991. Many speculated that it was in relation to the fatwa, but the case was never solved.
●Midnight’s Children (1980)
This book is an allegorical tale, a fictional take on various occurrences that took place in India amid its independence and partition. Through the use of fantastical elements, Rushdie depicts the friction between the various cultures, languages, religions, and politics present in an India in transition. It won the Booker Prize in 1981, and has also been recognized on the occasion of the 25th and 40th anniversary of the prize’s founding.
10.Michael Ondaatje (Sri Lanka/Canada)
Born in Sri Lanka when it was a British colony (and known as Ceylon), Ondaatje immigrated to England when he was 11, and then later to Canada. He is one of Canada’s best known novelists and poets.
●The English Patient (1992)
Set during the Italian Campaign of World War II, The English Patient is the story of a severely burned man (presumed to be English), a Canadian Army nurse, a Sikh working as a sapper for the British Army, and a Canadian spy. The titular patient is ostensibly the aforementioned Englishman, but in actuality all four are patients who are simply trying to find respite from the nightmare of war. This book won the Booker Prize in 1992. In 1996, it was adapted into a film of the same name, which won Best Picture, Best Director, and seven other awards at the 69th Academy Awards.
11.Yann Martel (Canada)
Ever since I first read his work, I’ve felt an affinity with Martel. Born in Spain to a French-Canadian diplomat father, Martel spent his youth moving around the world, and as an adult he would continue his journey, wandering through India, Turkey, and more. He has a unique style that is not everybody’s cup of tea, but it effectively transports the reader into the world of the book—body, mind, and soul. Definitely worth a read.
●The Life of Pi (2002)
An Indian boy is shipwrecked while traveling to Canada, and spends 227 days at sea along with a Bengal tiger. This fantasy adventure novel depicts the strength of the human spirit against all odds. It won the Booker Prize in 2002. In 2012 it was adapted into a film, which won four categories at the 85th Academy Awards. The novel, however, is even better than the film, and is definitely worth your time.
12.Epilogue
As someone with roots in Japan, news of the Japanese-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro winning the Nobel Prize in Literature was wonderful and moving news.
Another author who has been seen as a Nobel Prize candidate is Murakami Haruki. However, I believe that he will most likely never win the award.
The reason is that while Murakami creates extraordinary worlds, his works lack a worldview.
From my perspective as a person of European descent, the worlds he creates are comparable to children’s fantasies, and in one sense belong in the same genre as the Harry Potter books.
Having a worldview involves making a statement of one kind or another about values and the meaning of life.
Too many Japanese accept ideologies (a kind of philosophy) such as capitalism and democracy as gospel truth, without ever reflecting on their impact on our society. Meanwhile, in Europe, people can be skeptical of so-called universal truths such as the notion of freedom and equality.
We must never forget that to blindly place your faith in ideas such as freedom and equality and democracy without a second thought is just as dangerous as the pre-war militarism that maintained the Emperor was a God.
