Creating Original Mystery Works from the Unique Perspective of a Literary Scholar

Putting theories acquired as a researcher into practice in his own works as a novelist

I have been engaged in comparative research of Japanese and Western literature for many years.
Since literary works are deeply rooted in the culture of the country in which they are written, cultural differences can be a vexing problem when translating them. For example, the translations of Edward G. Seidensticker, who introduced many Japanese literary works to the world, are not English translations in which words are substituted by consulting a dictionary word by word, but rather translations that take into account the nuances of the text.

Strictly speaking, this may be a mistranslation, but it makes it easier for foreigners unfamiliar with Japanese culture to enjoy the work. It is said that Kawabata's skillful translation into English is what led him to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Translation of literary works is not simply a matter of replacing language, but a matter of replacing culture.

A theme we have been focusing on in recent years is "how to end" a novel. We are examining modern novels to see how they are structured and what kind of ending the author intended. In particular, I am interested in the technique of "peripeteia" (unexpected turn of events)*1 in which the story takes a sudden and unexpected turn in the middle of the story.

Exploring the structure of the novel is for me the embodiment of "Practical wisdom. I put the theories I have acquired from a researcher's point of view into practice in the creation of my works as a novelist. Such a correlation has been established.

Fusing fiction and reality to depict realistic fears.

I joined the literary world six years ago when I won the Japan Mystery Literature Grand Prize for New Writers, sponsored by the Koubun Bunka Foundation. I had been writing studies since I was an adolescent and dreamed of one day becoming a novelist, so I was happy to realize my dream, even though I was a late bloomer.

Although I sometimes felt lost in the idea of wearing two pairs of shoes, I feel that maintaining the aspect of a university-registered researcher has had a positive influence on my own creative activities.

Even though it is a fictional story, reality is fused into the work. In writing my works, I sometimes take hints from actual incidents to expand my ideas.

For example, when I specify a date in a sentence, I check the actual weather and make sure the description is in line with the facts. We also pay attention to police terminology. The name of the "runaway report," which is used to search for missing persons, was changed to "missing person report" in accordance with regulations enacted in 2010, so it is necessary to rewrite the name depending on the year and month you set.

In order to create a realistic portrayal, I sometimes visit the location chosen as the setting for the work to verify that the characters' actions are not unnatural.

My style is to create stories that are realistic crimes that could actually happen in real life, so I want to be very particular about reality.

The novel "Creepy" is, as the title suggests, a work that depicts "indescribable creepiness. Perhaps because of that strong impression, publishers keep asking me to write scary mysteries, but I don't consider myself a mystery writer. If given the opportunity, I would like to try my hand at new genres such as pure literature and pure love stories.

I want people to learn from the printed word the knowledge and wisdom to survive through the times.

It has been 36 years since I began teaching at Hosei University. As an educator, it is regrettable to see the changes in my students during that time, and to feel that they are becoming increasingly resistant to the printed word.

Fortunately, however, in my case, I was blessed with the visualization of my work. Following "Creepy," which was made into a movie, I am very grateful that "The Eyrie: The Invisible Face," published in 2016, was made into a drama series by the satellite broadcasting company WOWOW, which held a preview on campus to commemorate the event. I hope that many students will come to the event, even if just to "catch a glimpse of the popular actors," and that the images will inspire them to try reading the novel.

I believe that the comprehensive knowledge and wisdom to survive through the times can be cultivated by improving reading comprehension and imagination through the print media. I would like to continue to write good works that stimulate the interest of students.

I want to use my strengths as a novelist and educator, even if I am an eccentric individual

I have enjoyed reading since I was in elementary school. Higuchi Ichiyo's "Takekurabe" is still one of my top five favorite works. I was also influenced by Tatsuo Hori's "The Wind Rises" and "The Straw Hat," and began writing pure love stories and other novels when I was in junior high school.

Since I received an award for my entry to the Japan Mystery Literature Award, I am now called a mystery writer, but I think that my works cannot strictly be called mysteries. I am not particular about genre, and I still have the desire to write a work of pure literature someday.

To be honest, when I became a university faculty member, it was not my intention because I thought of it as a bridge until I could fulfill my dream of becoming a novelist. My father was also a university professor, so I felt some hesitation in pursuing the same career. I also felt that going to graduate school was a way of stalling for time. Although I eventually decided to become a teacher on my own, I continued to dream of one day becoming a novelist.

Now that my dream has finally come true and I am a novelist, I plan to continue being an educator. It is also for the sake of creating artwork.

Re-reading the award-winning work "Creepy," each paragraph is long and the writing is stiff. The storyline is also unique. Perhaps it is something I have acquired from living as an educator for many years. The level of perfection is only rough, but the writer's quirky personality seems to have made them interesting.

If that is what they appreciate about me, then if I lose my position as a university professor, I may lose my unique flavor and my work may become less interesting. As an educator, I also believe that it would be better to strike a balance between the two, since today's students tend to seek what is widely accepted by the public.

Looking at the recent trend among students, there is a uniformity of likes and dislikes, and a sense of conformity to everyone else. I hope they are not afraid to embrace being different or to resist conformity. Sometimes dreams come true because of quirky personalities. What do I want, and is this what I want? Asking yourself these questions, I would like you to cherish your individuality.

1 Peripetia: An unexpected development that produces a result opposite to what is expected, as classified by Aristotle in a passage from his "Poetics.

• At the presentation ceremony for the 15th Japan Mystery Literature Award for New Writers on March 15, 2012 (photo courtesy of Kobunsha)

Professor Yutaka Maekawa

Department of Intercultural Communication, Faculty of Intercultural Communication

Born in Tokyo in 1951. Graduated from Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Law, and completed the Master's Course in Comparative Literature and Culture, Graduate School of Humanities, the University of Tokyo, and left midway through the Doctoral Course. D. in Comparative Literature and Culture at the Graduate School of Humanities, University of Tokyo. After working as a full-time lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts at Gunma University, he joined the university in 1982 as a full-time lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts I. He became a professor in the same department in 1989 and a professor in the Faculty of Intercultural Communication in 2003. 2012, he won the Japan Mystery Literature Grand Prize for New Writers. His latest works are "Creepy Criminals" (Kobunsha Bunko) and "The Real Criminal's Face Kawaguchi Case Investigation Report" (Kobunsha).