A Personal Matter
novel by Ōe Kenzaburō
Also known as: “Kojinteki-na taiken”
Quick Summary
A Personal Matter (1964) is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author Kenzaburo Oe. The book is a darkly humorous exploration of a new father's struggle to accept the birth of his intellectually disabled child. This deeply personal work was inspired by the birth of Oe's own son, who was born with a brain hernia. The novel delves into themes of parental responsibility, societal expectations, and the emotional turmoil of confronting unexpected challenges in life.1
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