大地の子〈1〉

by Toyoko Yamasaki

松本勝男は、敗戦直後に祖父と母を喪い、妹と生き別れた。戦争孤児となった少年は、死線をさまよう苦難を経て、中国人教師に拾われ、中国人「陸一心」として育てられる。しかし、成人した一心を文化大革命の波が襲う。日本人の出自ゆえにリンチを受け、スパイの罪状で労働改造所送りに。終わりのない単調な重労働に明け暮れる日々、一心が思い起こすのは、養父・陸徳志の温情と、重病の自分を助けた看護婦・江月梅のことだった。ＮＨＫでドラマ化された山崎豊子の感動巨編。

387 pages, Paperback Bunko

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Toyoko Yamasaki (山崎 豊子, real name Sugimoto Toyoko; 3 November 1924 – 29 September 2013) was a Japanese novelist.

A native of Osaka, Yamasaki worked as a journalist for the Mainichi Shimbun from 1945 to 1959 after graduating from Kyoto Women's University in Japanese literature. She published her first story, Noren (1957), a story of a kelp trader, based on the experiences of her family's business. The following year, she won the Naoki Prize for her second novel Hana Noren, the story about the founder of an entertainment group. A major influence on her writings of that period was Yasushi Inoue, who was deputy head of the Mainichi Shimbun's cultural news desk.

Yamasaki wrote some stories based on actual events. For example, Futatsu no Sokoku is derived from the biography of a Japanese American David Akira Itami, and Shizumanu Taiyō is based on the Japan Airlines Flight 123 accident. Several works of hers were featured in films and television dramas.

Reviews

[Aya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a junior high school student.
A hero have a two homeland.
He was born in Japan and moved to Manchuria.
But Aug 1945,Manchuria was invaded by Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; USSR,
and he was separated from his own family.

And it was the biginning of his hard life.

As a Japanese in China,he live a very hard life,sometimes he treated like a pig in jail,
sometimes his girl friend say no to him because he is a Japanese,but he never lose his light and live strong.
That his attitude for his will for life gave me power and courage.

His father-in-law is a Chinese teacher and he also told a hero a moral and courage.
His love towards son-in-law always makes me cry.


I think,humanity is the most important thing for all human.

[Tomoko Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

傑作

[Sachiko Eguchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a story about a Japanese WWII orphan left in China. He experiences discrimination and injustice since he was small to adulthood the fact that he is Japanese. However, his adoptive Chinese father raised him to be a bright man whose intelligence outshines his disadvantage of being Japanese. It is an empowering story and I cried more than ten times reading this book. I was glad to have read this book at this age. Highly recommended.

[Hiromi Kashino · Rating 2 out of 5]

日本人として生まれ中国人として育ったのに、たくさんの理不尽に苦しむ人生。