A Personal Matter

A Personal Matter

First US edition cover
Author	Kenzaburō Ōe
Original title	Kojinteki na taiken
Translator	John Nathan
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Genre	Semi-autobiographical
Publisher	Grove Press
Publication date	1964
Published in English	1964
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	166 p.
ISBN	0802150616

A Personal Matter (Japanese: 個人的な体験; Kojinteki na taiken) is a novel by Japanese writer Kenzaburō Ōe. Written in 1964, the novel is semi-autobiographical and dark in tone. It tells the story of Bird, a man who must come to terms with the birth of his mentally disabled son.

Plot

Bird's son is born with a brain hernia, like Ōe's was. Bird tries to escape his responsibility for the child and his crumbling relationship with his wife, turning to alcohol and an old girlfriend. He is fired from his job teaching at a cram school in the process. He half attempts to kill the child, albeit indirectly, and is forced to decide whether he wants to keep the child.

Reception

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References