Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s

Chapter 196 A Gathering of Literary Masters

When Kitahara Iwa arrived at Minami Aoyama, it was already past nine o'clock at night.

After leaving the karaoke bar, Izumi Sakai originally wanted to accompany him, but Kitahara Iwa glanced at her long hair, which was covered by the brim of her hat, and thought about the attack she had been attacked last time. In the end, he asked the driver to take her back to her apartment first.

Before getting out of the car, Izumi Sakai straightened the collar of Kitahara Iwa's jacket and said, "Iwa-kun, don't drink too much~"

Kitahara Iwa nodded and replied, "You know I'm not a fan of alcohol."

Upon hearing this, Izumi Sakai seemed a little worried and added softly, "Don't chat too late, after all, you're not feeling well right now."

Kitahara Iwa smiled and said, "I'll do my best."

Sakai Izumi then released her grip.

After the car door closed, the car slowly drove away along the streets of Nanqingshan.

Tokyo at night no longer possesses the excessively bright and glamorous atmosphere it had a few months ago.

There are still upscale restaurants and clubs with their lights on along the roadside, but the lights behind many shop windows are dimmer, and pedestrians are walking faster than before.

The private club that Haruki Murakami mentioned is located at the end of the alley.

There was no conspicuous sign at the entrance, only an old lamp hanging there.

Several old pine trees grow in the courtyard, their shadows falling on the stone path and swaying gently in the wind.

When the wooden door was pushed open, there was no usual noise of a drinking party inside, only the very soft sound of water coming from behind the screen.

The waiter led Kitahara Iwa through a short corridor and stopped in front of a shoji door.

Pushing open the wooden door, a wave of heat, mixed with the smoke of whiskey and fine cigars, hits you.

Several literary giants, representing the highest level of contemporary Japanese literature, are sitting casually on soft leather sofas.

Haruki Murakami casually swirled a half-glass of whiskey on the rocks in his hand.

Murakami Ryu loosened his shirt collar, looking somewhat unruly and drunk.

The other three people present were literary giants whom Kitahara Iwa had never met before, only seen in newspapers and book covers.

The Abe residence was quieter than Iwata Kitahara had imagined.

He was quieter than in the media photos, with no obvious expression on his face, his fingertips resting on the rim of his wine glass.

When he heard the noise at the door, he only glanced at Kitahara Iwa, his gaze lingering for a short while without appearing offensive, as if he wanted to make a good impression on him.

Marutani Saiichi, standing next to him, was much more easygoing.

He had just finished reading an evening paper when he heard Kitahara Iwa enter. He calmly folded the paper and placed it next to his wine cup, smiling as he eased the tension by saying, "You've finally arrived."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Iwa bowed slightly and said, "I apologize for keeping you all waiting."

Haruki Murakami picked up his wine glass, waved it at Kitahara Iwa, and said in a teasing tone that only acquaintances would use, "I was just thinking that Mr. Oe might lose to Ms. Sakai tonight."

Upon hearing this, Murakami Ryu chuckled and said, "Coming all the way from karaoke to see Mr. Oe, Kitahara-kun, your entrance certainly has a contemporary Tokyo feel to it."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Iwa sat down in an empty seat, took the wine glass handed to him by the waiter, and said, "It's not that I'm reluctant to leave."

At this moment, Kitahara Iwao spoke calmly, as if stating something very serious: "It's just that my singing was too awful, so I took a little longer to apologize."

As soon as he said that, everyone at the table burst into laughter.

Marutani Saiichi shook his head and said, "It's already quite an achievement that Ms. Sakai listened to the whole thing."

Even Kobo Abe, who hadn't said much, twitched his lips slightly.

Kenzaburo Oe, who was in the main seat, then spoke up, saying, "It's good that you could come."

His voice was not loud, and he spoke slowly; he did not have the imposing air of a great master that was rumored to exist.

Kitahara Iwa looked up.

Kenzaburo Oe was quite different from the impression he had of him from magazines.

He sat there quietly, his gaze steady. He had neither the imposing presence of an elder scrutinizing a junior nor the air of deliberately testing someone. He simply looked intently at Kitahara Iwa.

The initial slightly awkwardness of the meeting was broken up by a few lighthearted jokes.

At this moment, Kitahara Iwa raised his wine glass and gestured slightly to the people present.

After raising their glasses for a round, Kenzaburo Oe put down his glass, looked at Iwao Kitahara, and said, "The commotion in the alley a while ago was all over the newspapers."

"When I read the news, I was thinking, the yakuza in Tokyo have expanded to the point that they're even killing writers. This country has really gone mad."

"That's why I've been wanting to find an opportunity to see you—"

Kobo Abe then spoke up, "At least it seems he hasn't been scared into not drinking."

Marutani Saiichi added, "He wasn't so scared that he couldn't sing."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Iwao smiled and said, "Compared to singing, writing suits me better."

Haruki Murakami said slowly, "Ms. Sakai would probably agree too."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere completely relaxed.

After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation finally shifted from casual chatter to the current situation in Japan.

The first to speak was Murakami Ryu.

He placed the cup back on the table, leaned forward slightly, and stared directly at Kitahara Iwa, saying, "Iwa-kun, everyone outside is waiting for your next book."

Do you have any ideas?

His way of speaking remains direct; he doesn't beat around the bush at all.

"The Collapsed Tower has already torn off their masks."

"Now that the bubble has burst, the bad debts of the housing industry have been exposed, and even the white glove of Takahashi Shunichi has been brought out."

"If you just follow this momentum and write another book, you can completely nail down that group of bureaucrats and bankers."

At this point, Murakami Ryu's voice became more excited as he said, "What this country needs now is not comfort, but judgment."

Marutani glanced down at the wine in his glass and said slowly, "Judging from the readers' reactions, that's certainly the case."

"They've been suppressing their feelings for too long."

"In the past, I was coaxed into signing documents by television, banks, experts, and financial magazines. Now that I suddenly realize I've been deceived, of course I want someone to speak up for me."

At this point, Marutani Saiichi looked at Kitahara Iwao and said, "If you were to write a sequel to 'The Collapsing Tower' now, its sales and influence would be quite high."

"It might even be bigger than the first one."

Murakami Ryuya, who was standing nearby, quickly added, "This isn't just about sales figures."

"This completely blocks their chance of hiding back."

"Bankers are good at waiting for the storm to pass, while bureaucrats are better at writing responsibility into reports that nobody can understand."

"If we don't continue to strike while they're bleeding, they'll come back with a different story in a few years."

However, Kitahara Iwao, holding his wine glass, did not immediately reply to Murakami Ryu's words.

The ice cubes in the glass gently touched the side of the glass.

Kofusa Abe, who was sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up: "Continue cutting, of course it will be more satisfying."

His voice wasn't loud, but it did slightly lower the temperature in the room.

Murakami Ryu turned to look at him.

Kobo Abe, still gazing at the wine in his glass, said calmly, "But if literature's only purpose is to please the reader, it will quickly become another form of entertainment."

"The Collapsed Tower is good because it exposes the rot within the structure before things completely explode. It's a wake-up call."

At this point, Kobo Abe looked up at Iwata Kitahara and said, "If I were to write another book now, simply rehashing the crimes that have already been repeatedly confirmed by newspapers, television, and police files, of course people would buy it."

"But is this still literature?"

Upon hearing this, Murakami Ryu frowned and said directly, "Has reality deteriorated to this extent that writers still have to pretend to be aloof?"

Kobo Abe shook his head and said, "It's not about standing on a cloud. It's about not standing in the very center of the crowd's emotions, saying what they've already said."

Murakami Ryu sneered and said bluntly, "You're just too much of a germaphobe."

Kobo Abe also responded, saying, "I just feel that the body is already lying on the table, and there's no need for everyone to stab us in the back to prove their anger."

Kitahara Iwa, who hadn't been in a hurry to interject, slowly said, holding his wine glass, "Anger is certainly important."

"But if you write about anger for too long, it will drag you down with it."

"The Collapsed Tower has shattered the dreams of the Japanese people."

"The problem now is, after it's broken, how do people sleep, how do they wake up, and how do they continue living their lives?"

This statement caused Murakami Tatsuya to fall silent for a moment.

Marutani Saiichi glanced thoughtfully at Kitahara Iwa.

"So, your recent seclusion wasn't to write a sequel?"

At this moment, Kenzaburo Oe, who was in the main seat, put down his wine cup, looked at Kitahara Iwa, and asked, "Iwa-kun."

"Could you tell me what you've been writing lately?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

All eyes were on Kitahara Iwa, awaiting his answer.

After a moment, Kitahara Iwa said, "One road."

Murakami Ryu was startled.

Kitahara Iwa continued, "A father, with a child, traveled south after the world was destroyed."

"Just a father and a child, trying not to turn themselves into beasts in a broken world."

"The Collapsed Tower has already told them why the world collapsed."

"Next, I want to write about how people move forward after the collapse."

After listening, Kenzaburo Oe picked up his wine glass and slowly took a sip.

Kitahara Iwa explained it very simply.

A road, a father, a child, a broken world.

The more concise the text, the more Kenzaburo Oe could tell that this book was completely different from "The Collapsing Tower".

"The Collapsed Tower" is a knife.

It cut through the glamorous facade of the bubble era, exposing the bad debts, greed, and fear within.

But the book that Kitahara Iwa just mentioned doesn't sound like a knife.

It looks more like a small cluster of fire.

It is very weak, yet it is something that people are unwilling to let go of even after they have completely lost everything.

Thinking of this, Kenzaburo Oe put down his sake cup, looked at Kitahara Iwa, and said, "Iwa-kun."

"I invited you here tonight not just to talk about your new book."

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table fell silent.

Murakami Ryu, who was about to pick up a wine glass, paused for a moment.

Marutani looked down at the wine in his glass, as if he had already guessed that tonight would not be just ordinary conversation.

Under everyone's gaze, Kenzaburo Oe slowly began to speak, "I have finished reading 'The Collapsing Tower'."

"To be honest, I got a little angry when I was halfway through reading it."

Kitahara Iwa was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Murakami Ryu, standing to the side, smiled and said, "Mr. Oe, your opening doesn't sound like a compliment."

Kenzaburo Oe chuckled and said, "I'm not angry because Iwa-kun's writing is bad."

"It's because it's written too accurately."

"There are some things that we can see completely."

"Banks, real estate, bureaucrats, the media, and ordinary people's fantasies about wealth have all been there all these years."

"It's just that many people are unwilling to write."

Kenzaburo Oe paused for a moment and then said, "Me too."

These words made everyone at the table look up.

Even Abe Kobo looked over.

Kenzaburo Oe's tone was very calm, without any hint of self-blame or any deliberate attempt to exaggerate anything.

It's just an old writer admitting something.

"This generation of postwar writers always likes to talk about responsibility."

"The responsibility of the nation, the responsibility of the war, and the responsibility of intellectuals."

"But once the bubble bursts, many things become harder to say."

At this point, Kenzaburo Oe looked at the small lamp on the table.

"Society is bustling, everyone is making money. Books are selling well, magazines are well-run, and TV programs are becoming more and more persuasive."

"If you had stood up and said that there was something rotten inside, people would have just thought you were a spoilsport."

2

Marutani nodded and said, "The word 'disappointing' is very accurate."

Murakami Ryu chuckled coldly and said, "They don't just find it disappointing."

"They think you're blocking their path to making money."

Kenzaburo Oe nodded and said, "That's why I said 'The Collapsing Tower' makes me angry."

"

"Because it puts many things that should have been written down much earlier onto paper all at once."

At this point, Kenzaburo Oe looked at Kitahara Iwa again.

"Yan-kun, you started writing earlier than many older writers, and you are more willing to take the consequences than them."

"I admire you very much in this respect!"

Kitahara Iwao did not speak immediately in response to Kenzaburo Oe's praise.

To be honest, he wasn't used to this kind of face-to-face evaluation.

Especially when it comes from someone like Kenzaburo Oe.

So Kitahara Iwa simply smiled in response, then gripped the glass tightly with his fingertips to calm himself.

Kenzaburo Oe continued, "The National Tax Agency went to your apartment."

"Banks and bookstores want to hold onto your books."

"That day at the alley entrance, Daozi also came."

As Kenzaburo Oe finished speaking, his tone remained calm, causing the atmosphere in the room to gradually darken.

"Any one of these things, if it happened to a young writer, could teach him to shut up later in life."

Haruki Murakami added, "It might also teach him to only write about cats, wells, and spaghetti."

Murakami Ryu immediately burst out laughing and said, "Are you insulting yourself?"

Haruki Murakami, holding his wine glass, thought for a moment with a serious expression and said, "Not entirely."

1

This remark made everyone at the table laugh.

Even Kitahara Iwa smiled.

However, Kenzaburo Oe did not stop this relaxed atmosphere. Instead, he waited for the laughter to subside before continuing, "But you didn't stop."

"This is important."

"What I'm trying to say is that you've reminded many people that writers don't have to hide themselves in awards, sales, and critics' sentences."

"Writers can also stand beside trouble."

"Even standing next to danger."

After he said that, no one in the room responded immediately.

Murakami Ryu held his wine glass, his previously carefree expression slightly subdued.

Kofusa Abe leaned to one side, his gaze fixed on Iwata Kitahara's face, as if he were re-evaluating him.

Kitahara Iwa was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Mr. Oe, you're being too harsh on me."

"I just wrote a novel."

Kenzaburo Oe shook his head and said, "Don't underestimate yourself, and don't underestimate your novel."

Murakami Ryu, who was standing next to him, immediately chimed in: "Especially a novel that can scare bureaucrats and bankers into seeking help from the yakuza."

Marutani Saiichi chuckled softly and said, "This kind of praise is even rarer than a literary award."

Kenzaburo Oe chuckled, then said, "So, I'd like to talk about something else tonight."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Iwa looked at Oe Kenzaburo with a serious expression.

Kenzaburo Oe didn't keep them in suspense any longer and said directly, "The current Japanese literary scene is too fragmented."

"Publishers have their own agendas, critics have their own opinions, and writers are all busy with their own roles."

"It's nothing usually like this."

"But this time, when you got into trouble, everyone realized that when it really needed to stand up, there wasn't a clean and strong enough place for writers to speak together."

Haruki Murakami gently swirled his wine glass, thought for a moment, and then said, "A writers' conference?"

Oe Kenzaburo shook his head.

"Too old, and too slow."

Marutani added, "Oe-san, many organizations eventually become just titles on business cards."

"Meeting, speeches, group photos, and then waiting for the next meeting."

Kenzaburo Oe nodded and looked at Iwao Kitahara, saying, "That's why I don't want to be an organization that only takes photos."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Iwa's expression immediately turned serious.

Kenzaburo Oe said, "I want to work with you, and others who are willing to step forward, to create a new writers' association."

As the words fell silent, the room fell completely quiet, and the sound of water behind the screen became exceptionally clear.

Murakami Ryu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes slowly lit up.

"A new writers' association?"

Kenzaburo Oe nodded and said, "It's not about giving out awards."

"It's not about judging which is more like pure literature."

"It's not about adding to anyone's resume."

Kenzaburo Oe said, word by word, "It only does one thing."

"When writers are oppressed by power, capital, or violence because of their writing, someone stands up."

The next second, Kenzaburo Oe looked at Iwa Kitahara and continued, "Iwa-kun, your reputation is already great enough."

"The Naoki Prize, the Akutagawa Prize, the Yomiuri Literature Prize, the Tanizaki Jun'ichirō Prize, and its reputation overseas."

"If you just keep writing books, you can certainly write very well."

"But some things cannot be accomplished by one person writing a book alone."

"So, Iwa-kun."

"Are you willing to do this troublesome thing together?"

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