BGM: 10cc - I'm Not In Love
Today I worked late. This morning I went to the library and borrowed Haruki Murakami's two books, "How To Find The Spin Cat" and "After the Quake". Probably because I read Yoshio Kataoka's work a lot, recently I am interested in American literature or other literature influenced by that. My writing might be influenced by that Yoshio Kataoka, Haruki Murakami, and Motoyuki Shibata. I can remember that once I adored Haruki, and tried a lot to copy Haruki's style to write short novels. Starting reading the "How To Find The Spin Cat", I remembered when I met Haruki's book at the first time. It was when I was a high school student. I accidentally met his "Pinball, 1973" and tried to read "Norwegian Wood", and it suit me. That is the first contact with Haruki. I have been following his works for over 30 years.
Why do Haruki's writings knock my mind like that? And how have I been influenced by Haruki's works? I like Haruki and Kataoka because there is no ambiguity. Their writings are always clear and have no pressure to make us read the line. It's good for me because I can't read the line. I am also trying to make my opinions clear with my writings. Haruki once wrote that "Civilization is communication", and I am also thinking about the communication with reading Haruki's books. In other words, it means thinking the relationship between me and others. Who is me? Who are others?
Reading "How To Find The Spin Cat", I was interested in the part he tried to think if his Japanese had changed because of his foreign life. How about me? I am learning English, and think if that action of learning English affects or changes my Japanese. English is often said as a logical language. My language has that kind of logical character? I can't see, but it is not possible to think my language has not been affected by that completely. Yes, I am affected by learning day by day. I write my diary in English, and something I learn from that affects my Japanese as the work of "feedback". It makes me funny. I wish that that change worked more effective to create original style of mine.
When I was a teenager, I adored Haruki even though I didn't know anything. I wished I could be like him... Probably people will certainly become the person we adore to be like them strongly. Now I am enjoying Jazz and American literature. I am enjoying a hard-boiled life of Harukist. Indeed, this is because I can be influenced, be into other things' color easily. When I lived in Tokyo, my Japanese became the one which was influenced by Tokyo area's dialect, and it made me surprise. I am always being influenced by others and therefore changed. That change is the key to keep on learning something, and committing the world.
