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Authors:

Kenzaburo Oe quotes

Japanese Writer January 31, 1935

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Quotes

As I grew up, I was continually to suffer hardships in different realms of life - in my family, in my relationship to Japanese society and in my way of living at large in the latter half of the twentieth century. Kenzaburo Oe
Kenzaburo Oe quote: "The ambiguous orientation of Japan drove the country into the..."
The ambiguous orientation of Japan drove the country into the position of an invader in Asia. Kenzaburo Oe
One day Bird had approached his father with this question; he was six years old: Father, where was I a hundred years before I was born? Where will I be a hundred years after I die? Father, what will happen to me when I die? Without a word, his young father had punched him in the mouth, broke two of his teeth and bloodied his face, and Bird forgot the fear of death. Kenzaburo Oe
We naturally try to forget our personal tragedies, serious or trifling, as soon as possible (even something as petty as being scorned or disdained by a stranger on a street corner). We try not to carry these things over to tomorrow. It is not strange, therefore, that the whole human race is trying to put Hiroshima, the extreme point of human tragedy, completely out of mind. Kenzaburo Oe
Bird, hesitating, recalled a line from the English textbook he was reading with his students; a young American was speaking angrily: Are you kidding me? Are you looking for a fight? Kenzaburo Oe
Right now you're about the least attractive Bird I've ever seen...But I'll sleep with you just the same. I haven't been fastidious about morality since my husband committed suicide; besides, even if you intend to have the most disgusting kind of sex with me, I'm sure I'll discover something genuine in no matter what we do. Kenzaburo Oe
... 'He's black, you see that! I thought he would be all along.' Harelip's voice trembled with excitement. 'He's a real black man, you see!' 'What are they going to do with him, shoot him?' 'Shoot him!' Harelip shouted, gasping with surprise. 'Shoot a real live black man!' Because he's the enemy,' I asserted without confidence. 'Enemy! You call him an enemy!' Harelip seized my shirt and railed at me hoarsely, spraying my face with saliva through his lip. 'He's a black man, he's no enemy! Kenzaburo Oe
By reading Huckleberry Finn I felt I was able to justify my act of going into the mountain forest at night and sleeping among the trees with a sense of security which I could never find indoors. Kenzaburo Oe
The people of Hiroshima went to work at once to restore human society in the aftermath of the great atomic flood. They were concerned to salvage their own lives, but in the process they also salvaged the souls of the people who have brought the atomic bomb. Kenzaburo Oe
Kenzaburo Oe quote: "Understanding comes hard to persons of high rank who are..."
Understanding comes hard to persons of high rank who are accustomed to phony lifestyles that involve no daily work. Kenzaburo Oe
I thought about death and was gripped by feelings which choked my chest and made my throat dry, a sudden pushing and shoving in my guts. It was a sort of chronic ailment I had. Once that feeling and that agitation of my whole body had begun, I wouldn't be able to shake it off until I got to asleep. And I couldn't recall it with the same impact in the daytime. Kenzaburo Oe
I am one of the writers who wish to create serious works of literature which dissociate themselves from those novels which are mere reflections of the vast consumer cultures of Tokyo and the subcultures of the world at large. Kenzaburo Oe
It takes a person of great care and insight to watch for any abnormality in the green grass even while it grows abundantly and healthily. Kenzaburo Oe
In the recent years there have been criticisms levelled against Japan suggesting that she should offer more military forces to the United Nations forces and thereby play a more active role in the keeping and restoration of peace in various parts of the world. Kenzaburo Oe
Kenzaburo Oe quote: "The Japanese chose the principle of eternal peace as the basis..."
The Japanese chose the principle of eternal peace as the basis of morality for our rebirth after the War. Kenzaburo Oe

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