The Youth of Things: Life and Death in the Age of Kajii Motojiro

Acknowledgments

xi Acknowledgments In 1986 I went to Columbia University to begin a PhD course in Japanese literature. Two teachers from that time contributed directly to this present book. First, I thank Donald Keene, who introduced Kajii and his literature to me in his class. From the moment I heard about Kajii, I felt there was something special about him. By the time I presented Donald with my end of term translation of “Lemon,” I was hooked. Second, I thank Paul Anderer, my PhD supervisor. After writing a paper on Kajii, I told Paul that I intended to make Kajii the subject of my PhD dissertation. Paul had the insight to advise that I take up another topic at that time. I believe that the present book, for all its faults, has benefited immensely from having had the opportunity to stew in my mind over an extended period. In my almost twenty years at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), I have been helped more than I can say by the daily conversations and friendship of my colleagues. And no words can adequately describe my gratitude to my SOAS students, whose real enthusiasm and engagement with Japanese literature have kept the subject alive within my own heart. To these students I dedicate my book. I have been extremely fortunate to receive a number of awards without which I would not have been able to complete my task. In 2005, I received a Japan Foundation Fellowship that allowed me to carry out research in Japan for four months. In 2010–2011, a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science gave me the opportunity to study for ten months at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. In addition, a fellowship in 2011 from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council meant that I was able to take an extra term of sabbatical leave and devote myself entirely to the project. Somanyfriendsandcolleagueshaveofferedadviceandencouragement along the way that to name them all would require another book. Those I do not mention by name here can be certain of my heartfelt gratitude. But let me at least thank Komori Yōichi, Suzuki Sadami, Leith Morton, Adrian xii Acknowledgments Pinnington, Chiba Shunji, Mark Williams, and John and Chika Breen, who have all offered insightful comments and encouragement. I am particularly grateful for the invaluable assistance I received from Nakagawa Shigemi during my stay at Ritsumeikan. The intellectual stimulation I received from Fujiwara Manabu, Hidaka Yoshiki, and Nishikawa Atsuko in Kyoto during 2010–2011 pushed me to do better. In that same year, my life was deeply enriched by the friendship of Tamashige Sachiko, Takeshita Yukio, Nagai Emi, and other members of our Kyoto drinking gang. I also thank my dear friends Goi Makoto, Narahara Junko, Tim Stanley, and Sarah and John Bennett-Green for their kind words of encouragement just when I needed them. I would like to thank my editors and other members of the University of Hawai‘i Press, whose kindness and attention to detail have made the process of producing this book such a pleasure. Earlier versions of parts of this book have appeared in other publications : “Modernism and Its Endings: Kajii Motojirō as Transitional Writer,” Rethinking Japanese Modernism (Leiden: Global Oriental, 2012); “DarknessTransformed :IllnessintheWorkofKajiiMotojirō,”JournalofJapa­nese Studies (2007); “Self and Other in the Writings of Kajii Motojirō,” Representing the Other in Modern Japanese Literature: A Critical Approach (London : Routledge, 2006). Finally, I only wish that my mother were still alive to see this book reach the light of day, and I thank my father for the great times we continue to share. The Youth of Things ...