Lectures on Japanese Contemporary Literature and Poetry

HANOI: Tue 20 Mar, 9 – 10.30 am
Conference Room 2nd Floor, Literature Institute
HUE: Thu 22 Mar, 9 – 10.30 am
Phuong Nam Culture Center
HCMC: Sat 24 Mar, 2 – 3.30 pm
Room D201, University of Social Science & Humanities

Equipped with M. A. in ancient Japanese literature at Waseda University, Mimi has been actively working on her writing, ranging from creations of poems, novels, texts for picture-books, translations of foreign picture-books, to reviews on literature and poetry, and lectures at public spaces.

Her first book of poems, Ima nimo uruotteiku jinchi [The Position That’s Being Moistened Even Now], published when she was a graduate student, won the Nakahara Chuya prize, one of the most prestigious prizes for poetry in Japan. Her second book of poems, Ku mono wa kuwareru yoru [The Night Those Who Eat Get Eaten], in 2005, won the Geijutsu Sensho Shinjin prize [lit. the New Face Award of Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for Poetry].

Mimi also has a collection of mini-essays, Kujaku no hane no me ga miteru [The Eyes on a Peacock’s Feathers Are Watching], 2004, in which she says, “When you are about to write a poem, the time and space an instant before the words come out are dense. Tightly packed. Quick, if you can, you think. But once you put it down on words, there’s something that falls between words and never comes up. Sometimes it’s something you deliberately throw away in an instant, sometimes it’s something you drop without meaning to that never comes back.”

She often alludes to classical Japanese literature and engages in wordplay. Her fine sensibility on words, equipped with academic research on ancient Japanese literature, convinces us of broadening the possibility of poetry and literature.

Her varied achievements on literature will assure you of the understanding of stimulating issues on the contemporary literature and poetry, as well as its modern history. We hope the audience will enjoy the intellectual discoveries.

Languages: The lecture will be delivered in Japanese with Vietnamese interpretation.

Admission is free. Advanced registration is highly recommended.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Nha (Ext. 115) / Mr. Yoshioka (0123-384-4138)
The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam TEL 04-3944-7419