Southern Exposure
(MOLASKY, RABSON)
Southern Exposure contains fifteen pages of poetry
and twelve stories ranging up to novella length, translated from twentieth
century Okinawan writing in Japanese. An introduction provides a brief history
of Okinawa and its literary traditions; each
piece is also preceded by a brief biographical sketch of the author.
The stories contain some lively writing, with a broad range of moods and
styles. They also offer insight into life on Okinawa
and aspects of its history. In the early stories a common theme is the
relationship between Okinawans and mainlanders and the tensions of assimilation
by mainland Japan
(politically, Okinawa was fully absorbed only
in 1879, following the Meiji restoration). In the more recent ones the huge United States
military presence is unavoidable, even when it remains in the background. Among
the more memorable stories: Oshiro Tatsuhiro''s "Turtleback Tombs"
describes a family taking shelter in their ancestral tomb during the United
States naval bombardment toward the end of the war; Medoruma Shun''s
"Droplets" deals with the effects of their war experiences on the
survivors; and in Matayoshi Eiki''s "Fortunes by the Sea" an
"adopted" husband (married into his wife''s family), dissatisfied with
life as an idle house-husband, breaks out of the mould, stealing a goat and
visiting another women.
Resumos Relacionados
- The Old Country
- The Joy Luck Club
- America''s War In Vietnam
- Three Drops Of Blood ( Oldies Worth Re-reading)
- Three Drops Of Blood ( Oldies Worth Re-reading)
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