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Review
...an astonishing novel... -- Mother Jones
Book Description
Winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Literature. The magnitude of Bird's disappointment at the birth of his brain-damaged baby reveals itself in his attempts to destroy his son, until he realizes he must take responsibility not only for the child, but also for himself.
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First Sentence
BIRD, gazing down at the map of Africa that reposed in the showcase with the haughty elegance of a wild deer, stifled a short sigh. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
BIRD, gazing down at the map of Africa that reposed in the showcase with the haughty elegance of a wild deer, stifled a short sigh. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Harrowing Tale About Personal Choices,
By
This review is from: A Personal Matter (Paperback)
Nobel prize-winning novelist Kenzaburo Oe's best known book is a remarkable and intimate journey through the maze of ethics, fatherhood, and responsibility. The protagonist Bird is a dreamer; he dreams of going to Africa, of undemanding love, of a perfect son - none of which are within his grasp. His child is born with a herniated brain, and his wife's obstetrician is already talking excitedly about an autopsy as the baby, a boy, continues to live. This stubborn will to live, and Bird's responsibility to decide his son's fate, drives Bird deep into denial. If he doesn't do anything, then the baby might die naturally, and Bird will be free of the deformity that threatens to reflect ill on him as a man and husband. But his wife wants their child to survive; she wants to name him, to love him. And Bird begins to question his first inclinations. His touching relationship with his mistress Himiko only reinforces his sense of inadequacy and cowardice - until, that is, he begins to accept life as it is.This stark, haunting novel leaves the reader with a deep sense of both loss and hope, although the latter is more, in Bird's mind, "forbearance." Oe's honest treatment of this difficult subject matter is sensitive and skilled, understated in a way that emphasizes the magnitude of what Bird faces. John Nathan's translation provides smooth, beautifully-rendered prose. The subject matter may be too depressing for some readers but should appeal to those interested in quality literature. The issues Oe tackles are significant, and his characters, deeply human. A PERSONAL MATTER is an unforgettable novel not to be missed.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Is moral responsibility important if you have no morality?,
By
This review is from: A Personal Matter (Paperback)
Kenzaburo Oe was born in 1935, and so he lived through World War II as a child in Imperialist Japan. This puts him in a position that few Americans can truly understand. For 10 years, he was taught that the Emperor was God, and the gloy of the Empire was all that mattered. And suddenly, in the flash of two Atomic bombs, that ended. The entire moral system that a generation of people were raised on collapsed. He is to accept the fine, Liberal values of the West, but on what foundation do they rest? In short, his generation was robbed of it's ethical heritage. The Emperor was human. The morality of the West can only be seen in the eyes of someone who witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Right and wrong never had any true meaning, and the post WWII generation had to search it out for itself. This ethical aimlessness manifests itself in Oe most important and widely read work, A Personal Matter. Bird, the Japanese everyman of the post-WWII generation, is the father of a new born infant who has a horrible birth defect. At great personal expense, he can allow the child to be operated upon, however, there is very little chance of success, and the child will most likely become severely retarded. Or else he can allow the child to starve on a diet of sugar water, under the doctor's watchful eyes. It is a moral question that a man without morality must answer. This leads Bird on a journey through terror and vice. In absence of any higher values to turn to, Bird finds solace in humiliating sex, booze, and dreams of escape to Africa. I really cannot stress how underrated this novel is in America. Frankly, I had never heard of it until I saw it at a used book store. Oe won the Nobel prize for Literature in 1994, an honor which is shamefully overlooked in America. A Personal Matter is an intensely powerful, philosophical journey that offers more to modern man bleak Nihilism. Oe, raised without morality, forced to discover the ethics of the world on his own, manages to provide use with a beautiful vision of hope for man.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A dark, deep, and superbly narrated existential story,
By Democritus (Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Personal Matter (Paperback)
Kenzaburo Oe tells the story of Bird (name of the main character)living in modern Japan. The story is how Bird deals with the reality, of being the father of a brain damaged child. Oe takes us into a dark journey of how Bird deals with this new reality.Bird has to face the problem of "How do I Act?" in a modern society lacking moral or guiding principles. Many incidents in Bird's life had no meaning - drinking the entire summer or having sex. Faced with the new reality, Bird tries to escape from it. He doesn't want the child to become a permanent reality of his life. He faces the choice of either killing the newborn or risking an operation (which might not restore the brain damage). Whatever choice Bird makes, he has to deal with the responsibility of making the choice. Instead of running away from the problem - Bird finally accepts his responsibility of being father of brain-damaged child. A dark, deep, and superbly told existential story.
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