Speaker: Ikezawa Natsuki, novelist, poet, translator, and critic. (Please note that the lecture will be in Japanese without interpretation into English.)

“Japan strikes one as a kind of hothouse country right now—all very cozy, warm and moist, with a whiff of rot. In this sheltered place, one could be completely oblivious to the storm raging outside. Whom does the writer who’s taken a few steps outside really propose to address? Why have I written so many stories where Japanese characters find themselves outside Japan? These are questions I want to re-examine.” —Ikezawa Natsuki

Author of numerous prize-winning works including translated into English: Still Lives (original, Sutiru raifu, published 1988; translated by Dennis Keene, Kodansha International, 1998) and A Burden of Flowers (original, Hana o hakobu imoto, published 2000; translated by Alfred Birnbaum, Kodansha International, 2001). Born in Hokkaido, Ikezawa resided in Greece for three years and moved to Okinawa in 1994. His weblogs Welcome to the New Century (2001-2003) and The Age of Pandora (2003- ) may be found at [url=http://www.cafeimpala.com]www.cafeimpala.com[/url].

For many SWET members who are accustomed to being outsiders inside, Ikezawa’s insider outside perspective is sure to strike a responsive chord. Introduction by Alfred Birnbaum.

Date: June 19, 2004 (Sat.)

Time: 2:30-4:30 P.M.

Place: International House, 5-11-16 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Map at: [url=http://www.i-house.or.jp]www.i-house.or.jp[/url]

Fee: ¥1,000 for SWET and JAT members, ¥1,500 for non-members

This event is co-sponsored by the Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators (SWET) and the Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP)