Toshiki Okada Livres

Two brilliant, multi-layered stories from the winner of the Kenzaburo Oe Prize: part of our Japanese novella series, showcasing the best contemporary Japanese writing. On the eve of the Iraq War, a man and a woman meet in a nightclub in Tokyo. They go to a love hotel, and spend the next five days in a torrid affair. Written in a stream of consciousness, with the reader's perceptions shifting and melting into one another, what is remarkable in this story is not what happens, but the ability of the writer to enter the minds and memories of the protagonists. In the second story, a woman living in a damp flat obsesses on the filthy state of her dwelling. She remains in bed for the duration of the narrative, but the drama and tension of her inner life - spiralling further and further into her memories and anxieties - keep the reader engrossed to the very end. The End of the Moment We Had demonstrates the fluidity and richness of this extraordinarily gifted writer's language and ideas.

Exploring themes of love, loss, and the passage of time, the narrative intertwines the dreams of a man and a woman, revealing their deep-seated desires and fears. The man envisions a more meaningful existence through the death of his girlfriend, while the woman experiences a surreal subway journey that leads her to a gathering, only to return to a drastically changed reality. Set in an urban backdrop, this modern folktale delves into the complexities of relationships and the yearning for connection amidst the relentless march of time.

"The static lives of several self-obsessed GenX comic book store clerks are thrown out of balance by the presence of a younger female co-worker, who rightly makes them question the meaning of their lives in a shifting socio-economic landscape."--Back cover.

Die junge Generation Japans: Toshiki Okada ist einer von ihnen. Seine Theaterstücke werden weltweit aufgeführt, immer wieder auch in Deutschland. Okada beschreibt in »Die Zeit, die uns bleibt« den Zustand einer Generation, die von Kriegen umgeben ist, die in einem Land lebt, das von Tsunamis und Reaktorunfällen heimgesucht wird, in dem der Wirtschafstboom längst vorbei ist. Eine Generation ohne Zukunft, möchte man glauben, aber auch sie haben eine Zukunft, sie wissen nur noch nicht, wo. Und so lange besaufen sie sich, haben Sex mit Unbekannten in runtergekommen Love Hotels, warten, dass die Kakerlake in ihrer schimmligen Wohnung im Schrank verschwindet. Das ist hart, das ist gut, Okada ist die neue Stimme Japans.