הציפורים

by Banana Yoshimoto, בננה יושימוטו, אירית ויינברג (Translator)

מאקו וסאגה הם שתי נשמות אבודות. מאז שהיו ילדים גדלו יחד במעין כת משפחתית, ועכשיו הם מנסים לפלס דרך החוצה ולבנות חיים חדשים שיהיו סוף סוף שלהם בלבד.
אבל האם למה שקיים ביניהם אפשר באמת לקרוא אהבה?
הציפורים הוא רומן מקורי ומכושף שבמרכזו אישה וגבר. בננה יושימוטו, הסופרת היפנית האהובה, מספרת סיפור חד-פעמי על דמויות נוגעות ללב, הקשורות יחד בעצב ובתקווה. זוהי רקמה ייחודית ויפהפייה שהאהבה בה נקלעת למתח שבין שתי תרבויות.

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2014

About the author

Banana Yoshimoto (よしもと ばなな or 吉本 ばなな) is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本 真秀子), a Japanese contemporary writer. She writes her name in hiragana. (See also 吉本芭娜娜 (Chinese).)

Along with having a famous father, poet Takaaki Yoshimoto, Banana's sister, Haruno Yoiko, is a well-known cartoonist in Japan. Growing up in a liberal family, she learned the value of independence from a young age.

She graduated from Nihon University's Art College, majoring in Literature. During that time, she took the pseudonym "Banana" after her love of banana flowers, a name she recognizes as both "cute" and "purposefully androgynous."

Despite her success, Yoshimoto remains a down-to-earth and obscure figure. Whenever she appears in public she eschews make-up and dresses simply. She keeps her personal life guarded, and reveals little about her certified Rolfing practitioner, Hiroyoshi Tahata and son (born in 2003). Instead, she talks about her writing. Each day she takes half an hour to write at her computer, and she says, "I tend to feel guilty because I write these stories almost for fun."

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

애리조나의 새도나에서 자살을 선택한 엄마들과 그로 인해 ‘부모라는 세계가 산산히 부서져버린’ 채 홀로 남겨진 사가와 마코. 죽음이라는 절망과 상실의 상처를 안고 힘겹게 살아남은 아이들은 일본으로 다시 돌아와 성인이 된다. 서로에게 의지하며 온기를 느끼고, 부서져 내릴 것 같은 서로를 아끼고 사랑해주며, 언젠가는 아기를 많이 낳아 자신들이 잃었던 가정을 다시 꾸리고 싶어하는 그들의 모습이 내내 안쓰러웠다. 부디 그 아이들이 행복할 수 있기를. 어른들이 남기고 간 삶의 무게로 인해 너무 무거워지지 않기를. 그냥 자연스럽게, 슬픔과 상실의 기억으로 가득차 있는 골짜기 위를 새처럼 가볍게 날아가듯 그렇게 살아갈 수 있기를 바란다. 이 책의 첫 페이지에 등장하는 아오바 이치코의 <살아남은 우리들>의 선율이 책의 내용과 묘하게 어울어져 계속 듣게 된다.

[David Raz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't get what this book is about. The whole thing sounded like simplistic, shallow mumbo-jumbo to me. Maybe it was the translation, or maybe she is supposed to, but the protagonist comes of childishly immature. There is supposed to be some understanding and some growing up and change in her life, but it is unclear how or by what means.
On the bright side, it wasn't too long, so rather than stop reading I pulled through to the end, which I didn't get just like the rest of it. 1.5 stars, rounded to two stars.

[Hodaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

הספר מתמודד עם נושא המוות והאבל בצורה שקטה ועוצמתית זה לא ספר דרמטי הוא מדבר על התחושות הקטנות שמרכיבות את הכאב וניסיון למצוא שקט פנימי בתוך עולם שמתרסק
סגנון כתיבה מינימליסטי אבל מדויק זה ספר על אובדן אבל גם על אהבה מסוג אחר

[Nir Hezroni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quiet, but runs deep. beautifully written.