From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Note: all Japanese names in this article are given in the Japanese order, with surname first and given name second)
A Personal Matter (個人的な体験 kojinteki na taiken) is a novel by Japanese writer Oe Kenzaburo (大江 健三郎 Ōe Kenzaburō).
(Warning, may contain spoilers)
Written in 1968, the novel is dark, deeply personal, and semi-autobiographical. It tells the story of a man (Bird), who must come to terms with his son's mental disability.
Bird's son, like Oe's, is born with a brain hernia; Bird tries to escape his responsibility for the child. He turns to alcohol and an old girlfriend and must decide whether to let the child live.
The novel is replete with imagery of death, decay and sex.
Though the novel has a "happy" end, it should be considered in juxtaposition with the story Aghwee the Sky Monster (also by Oe), in which a father faced with a similar decision makes a different choice (as of this writing Oe's son, Oe Hikaru is still alive, and despite his disability has made something of a name for himself in Japan with his compositions).
