Mieko Kawakami: ‘Franz Kafka is my comfort read’

My earliest reading memory
We had very few books at home, growing up, so I always looked forward to the Japanese textbooks that were handed out in school every term. I would read the entire book in one day, and over and over again after that. Textbooks might seem boring, but they gave me a way into contemporary poetry, haiku and tanka poems.

My favourite book growing up
Demian by Hermann Hesse. Of all the protagonists, Sinclair appealed to me because of his introspective nature and lack of confidence.

The book that changed me as a teenager
I was lucky to read Kurt Vonnegut as a teenager. Michael Ende has written about the way in which humour is not an expression of playfulness but rather an attitude of how a person deals with the extreme hardships and setbacks that occur in life. This understanding of humour is connected to the spirit of Osaka, the city where I was born and raised. It surprised me that I could understand the essence of my own culture through the work of Vonnegut, an American writer. Through his imagination and epic experiences, he taught me about hope amid despair.

The writer who changed my mind
James Joyce. He completely transformed the way I thought about poetry – the whole concept of it, from form to content.

The book that made me want to be a writer
I can’t think of one, because I never aspired to become a writer. I just gave my all to every job and got to where I am now.

The book I came back to
Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil. As a non-believer, I could read and understand Weil’s work but never felt I could touch its essence. Now that I’m older and have been exposed to human limitations in various ways, the “God” that Weil refers to has taken on a new significance for me.

The book I reread
Growing Up (Takekurabe) by Ichiyō Higuchi, who was one of the first professional female writers in modern Japan. She depicts, in superb prose, the brilliant innocence of children and the customs of the old part of Tokyo, from 130 years ago. Aside from being a pleasure to read, the story reminds me of how the economic disparity and systemic inequality of her time remain unchanged today. The Zürau Aphorisms by Franz Kafka is another one.

The book I could never read again
I find many books are too macho to read now. Stories about “inheritance” or “succession”, depicting the conflict between sons and their oppressive fathers.

The book I discovered later in life
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin. This short-story collection was translated into Japanese a few years ago. I’m amazed by her ability to write about life’s sorrows and disappointments.

The book I am currently reading
The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Stories by Beatrix Potter. I’m currently translating all 23 tales into Japanese, so I’ve been reading them very closely for the past two years. I am constantly impressed by their perfect structure – the illustrations are wonderful too. For example, the animals that eat well have shiny fur, whereas the less fortunate ones look greasy and flabby – their fur is painted differently according to class. There’s a lot I have learned from Potter’s life and her insightful vision.

My comfort read
Kafka, because his works contain the truth that despair is neither something to be detested and shunned nor a sudden misfortune, but a natural condition for human life.