Tawada Yōko

[Stewart]

Tawada Yōko (born March 23, 1960) is a Japanese writer currently resident in Germany.

Tawada was born in Tokyo, received her undergraduate education at Waseda University in 1982 with a major in Russian literature, then studied at Hamburg University where she received a master's degree in contemporary German literature. She received her doctorate in German literature at the University of Zurich. In 1987 she published Nur da wo du bist da ist nichts—Anata no iru tokoro dake nani mo nai (A Void Only Where You Are), a collection of poems in a German and Japanese bilingual edition.

Tawada's Missing Heels received the Gunzo Prize for New Writers in 1991, and The Bridegroom Was a Dog received the Akutagawa Prize in 1993. Her Suspect on the Night Train won the Tanizaki Prize and Ito Sei Literary Prize in 2003.

Tawada received the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize in 1996, a German award to foreign writers in recognition of their contribution to German culture, and the Goethe Medal in 2005.

RELATED LINKS

• Tawada Yōko's Home Page
• Tawada Yōko on Wikipedia

[Stewart]

I've just spent an evening at Glasgow's Goethe Institut, listening to Tawada do a trilingual reading (German, Japanese, and English) of her work, which was an enjoyable experience. She likes to put an element of performance into her readings, noting how it helps those who may not understand all the languages she's using (i.e. me) get something from the experience, be it holding up Japanese characters, speaking from behind photographs, or reading off a glove in parallel with the text.

She talked about her early literary interests - Russian names like Dostoevsky and Gogol, and how for her, in Japan, Moscow symbolised Europe and never did she think that the Moscow image from her library could be a reality until she visited, eventually ending up in Hamburg where she has 'lived' since (although her lifestyle's a peripatetic one) until moving to Berlin a few years back.

She cites Gogol and Kafka as her influences, and noted how her learning German and German literature helped change her Japanese literature which, until then, had been in a traditional style. Not so now.

Another topic included her German/Japanese dual identity, and how it was interesting for her coming to the English language where her works are translated both from German and Japanese making her feel like a single entity when, before that, working in two different languages, she had felt like two different writers.

One particular highlight was a poem inspired by Ernst Jandl, in which she translated a poem between German and Japanese, not literally, but by sounds. Now, my German is useless and my Japanse non-existent, but it was clear, on listening, that they were two separate languages but each line sounded so similar, all just through the choice of words.

And I think there's a bit of kudos required for whatever translator Englished a story called Hair Tax, because Tawada seemed genuinely excited, on having the story read for her, that the audience laughed at the ending, because the joke was in German.

[Stewart]

I should also say that the German edition and English edition of Wo Europe Anfängt/Where Europe Begins are different, with the English edition containing stories translated from German and Japanese, whereas the German edition, which is absolutely beautiful, it has to be said, doesn't have these extra stories but it does have pages in Japanese.

[titania7]

Stewart,
It sounds as if you had a memorable experience at the Tawada Yoko talk. Were I the jealous type (which I'm not), I would be envious of your having had such a splendid opportunity! I don't speak German or Japanese, either, though I would like to learn German someday. Yoko's translation of the poem by Ernest Jandl sounds interesting. I daresay I, too, would've found that to be one of the highlights of the evening!!

So, Yoko likes Dostoevsky, Gogol, and Kafka? I must say, it always pleases me to hear that a writer's literary influences are so closely akin to my own. I tend to think I have found a "kindred spirit," of sorts. Speaking of Gogol....I noticed on a post you wrote before I joined this forum, Stewart, that you asked for Russian literature recommendations. Well, Gogol's Dead Souls would be very high on my list (along with the Dostoesvky books I previously suggested).

Thanks to your postings, I'm going to look for some of Yoko's work.
Glad to know about her....

Titania

"There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject;
the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person."
~G.K. Chesterton

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by titania7

Stewart,
It sounds as if you had a memorable experience at the Tawada Yoko talk. Were I the jealous type (which I'm not), I would be envious of your having had such a splendid opportunity!

My only regret, really, is that I never had my camera. I'd have liked to get a good photograph of the event for my blog, where I expanded slightly on the thoughts above. It's something I wish I'd done when visiting the Edinburgh Festival earlier this year, as I saw a number of writers talk.

Yoko's translation of the poem by Ernest Jandl sounds interesting. I daresay I, too, would've found that to be one of the highlights of the evening!!

It wasn't a Jandl poem, but one inspired by something he'd done between German and English, matching the sounds rather than the words.

[titania7]

Stewart,
Sorry. I don't know how I missed the word "inspired" in regard to the Jandl poem. Hmmm.....that'll teach me to read your posts even more carefully .

I didn't have a camera for the Eco lecture, either. Somehow I frequently manage to leave my camera at home when I go to important events! The Edinburgh Festival must have been marvelous. Much to my regret, I've never been to Scotland, although my mother has visited there (before I was born) and loved it. I would imagine one of the best times to go to Scotland would be during the Festival. I figure I may get there someday, as I have a good professor friend who lives/teaches in Leeds and, as he told me when we last spoke, it's only a 3 hr. drive from there to Scotland.

I will definitely check out your comments regarding Yoko on your blog.

Titania

"I have dreamed in my life, dreams that have stayed with me for ever
after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through
me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind."
~Emily Bronte