The World in Japanese

(February 11, 2010) Ian Hideo Levy discusses language and identity of a writer as well as the difficulties and rewards of gaining the privilege of writing in the Japanese language as a culturally foreign writer.

Stanford University:
http://www.stanford.edu/

Stanford Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Humanities
• culture
• language
• Modern Japanese Literature
• Contemporary Writers
• Nihongo bungaku
• Riibi Hideo
• Man'yoshu
• Yamanoue Okura
• Nakagami Kenji
• Lee
• 日本語文学、リービ・英雄、万葉集、山上憶良、中上健次、李良枝

[WEARMYHEARTONMYSLEEV]

After having read your Japanese book which is translated into English as "A room where the the Star-Spangled Banner can not be heard" which I bought at Kinokuniya in Shinjuku, I was very touched by the pain and passion the protagonist :Ben Issacs" (I am sorry if I wrote a wrong spelling of his name in English) went through in his youth to try hard to be a Japanese. Thank you very much for giving me an oppotunity for reading such a marvelous Japanese novel.

[fastfast121]

Pravo !!! i never been interested in literature before seeing this video .. i enjoyed every single second of the lecture ,..... Pravo !!!

[xxclouds008xx]

I enjoyed his talk very much and I enjoyed the book very much as well. Thank you for posting this!

[grunder20]

Wish the world is always in English. Standard American English, that is.

[ArielInJapan]

I found this lecture after reading his story about the phone call from Lee Yangji in my Japanese textbook (日本語中級J501). It is the most interesting piece I have read in my limited Japanese.

As a gaijin living in Japan of Jewish origin, who lives in Japan, who speaks also some Chinese and Japanese (though not even remotely close to Levy-san's), I can relate to this lecture in so many ways.

I've even been to Kaifeng, and met an old Jewish woman, and saw first hand how they were completely Sinicized.

[MrFour44444]

Excellent lecture! You really put your heart into it!

[Grophrane1337]

Extremely interesting lecture.

[kuma01945]

uhhhhhhh and um boring

[kuma01945]

uhhhhhhh and um

[kuma01945]

uhhhhhhh and um

[beholdmyswarthyface0]

Wonderful lecture. I've posted it on my blog (see profile)