AN AMERICAN DIARY OF A JAPANESE GIRL BY YONE NOGUCHI (BOOK REVIEW)

 In this post, I will review An American Diary of a Japanese girl by  Yone Noguchi. It is worth noting that the real author of this book is not a Japanese girl, but an American Japanese writer named Yone Noguchi. I'm stressing this because I didn't know it when I started reading and it is definitely a relevant piece of information. Moreover, this book is not a diary at all, but rather a work of pure fiction.  This 'autobiography' is also the first work in English by a Japanese writer.  Known in the West as Yone Noguchi, his real name was Yonejeiro Noguchi and he wrote both in English and Japanese. Noguchi had an interesting life to say the least, but we shall talk about it some other time because today the focus shall me on this book.

This is a historical book, more than a hundred years old. Published in 1902, this book was originally marked as an autobiography written by a young Japanese girl named Morning glory. This book is available for a free download on project Gutenberg (and probably some other sites). If you're planning on downloading it, I recommend you to download the version with original historical illustrations by Genjiro Yeto, they're quite pretty. I would also like to recommend you to look more into the work of Genjiro Yeto.

U ovoj ću objavi podijeliti svoj ogled knjige Američki dnevnik japanske djevojke od Yonea Noguchija. Vrijedi napomenuti da pravi autor ove knjige nije japanska djevojka, već američko-japanski pisac po imenu Yone Noguchi. Naglašavam to jer nisam znala  kada sam počla čitati, a to je svakako bitan podatak. Štoviše, ova knjiga uopće nije dnevnik, već djelo čiste fikcije. Ova 'autobiografija' ujedno je i prvo djelo japanskog pisca na engleskom jeziku. Na zapadu poznat kao Yone Noguchi, njegovo pravo ime bilo je Yonejeiro Noguchi i pisao je na engleskom i japanskom jeziku. Noguchi je imao zanimljiv život u najmanju ruku, ali o tome ćemo govoriti neki drugi put jer danas ću se fokusirati na ovu knjigu.

Ovo je povijesna knjiga, stara više od sto godina. Objavljena 1902. godine, ova je knjiga izvorno označena kao autobiografija koju je napisala mlada Japanka po imenu Morning glory. Ova knjiga je dostupna za besplatno preuzimanje na projektu Gutenberg (i vjerojatno i na drugim sličnim stranicama). Ako ga planirate preuzeti, preporučam vam da preuzmete verziju s originalnim povijesnim ilustracijama Genjira Yeta, prilično su lijepe. Također bih vam želio preporučiti rad Genjira Yeta.

My new page of life is dawning.

A trip beyond the seas—Meriken Kenbutsu—it’s not an ordinary event.

It is verily the first event in our family history that I could trace back for six centuries.

My to-day’s dream of America—dream of a butterfly sipping on golden dews—was rudely broken by the artless chirrup of a hundred sparrows in my garden.

“Chui, chui! Chui, chui, chui!”

Bad sparrows!

My dream was silly but splendid.

Dream is no dream without silliness which is akin to poetry.

If my dream ever comes true!* quoted from An American Diary of a Japanese girl

This book was an interesting albeit a bewildering read. What to write about this unusual book expect that I'm not sure what to make of it? It was an interesting read for sure, but I must admit I was often confused while reading this book. Initially, I thought it must be the cultural or historical gap that prevents me from 'getting it'. After all, it was written such a long time ago. Both USA and Japan were very different countries back in 1902. Moreover, this is a work of fiction, something I didn't figure out right away. In fact, it was only half way through that I realized that it is a work of fiction written by a man and not a travelling diary of a young girl. Once I realized that, some things started to make more sense, but the meaning some of the passages still escaped me. Am I'm too removed in culture and time to be able to get all the book's references?  Do I need to read more about it to be able to interpreted it? Is it intended to be an ambiguous read? I do have a lot of questions to ask about this little book. If you ask me, when it comes to books, questions are often a good thing. By that I mean it's a good sign if a book makes us want to ask questions. 

Ova knjiga je bila zanimljiva, ali zbunjujuća za čitanje. Što napisati o ovoj neobičnoj knjizi osim ​​da nisam sigurna što bih mislila o njoj? Bilo je to sigurno zanimljivo štivo, ali moram priznati da sam često bio zbunjena čitajući ovu knjigu. U početku sam mislio da me 'da ne shvatim' sprječava kulturološki ili povijesni jaz. Uostalom, knjiga je napisana tako davno. I SAD i Japan bile su vrlo različite zemlje 1902. Štoviše, ovo je djelo fikcije, nešto što nisam odmah shvatila. Zapravo, tek na pola puta kroz knjigu shvatila  sam da je to djelo fikcije koje je napisao muškarac, a ne putopisni dnevnik mlade djevojke. Kada sam to shvatio, neke stvari su počele imati više smisla, ali smisao nekih odlomaka mi je ipak promakao. Jesam li previše udaljena u kulturi i vremenu da bih mogla shvatiti sve reference knjige? Trebam li čitati više o njoj da bih ju mogla protumačiti? Je li namijenjeno da bude dvosmisleno štivo? Imam puno pitanja o ovoj maloj knjizi. Ako mene pitate, kada su knjige u pitanju, pitanja su često dobra stvar. Pod tim mislim da je dobar znak ako nas knjiga tjera da poželimo postavljati pitanja.

24th—The song of gay children scattered over the street had subsided. The harvest moon shone like a yellow halo of “Nono Sama.” All things in blessed Mitsuho No Kuni—the smallest ant also—bathed in sweet inspiring beams of beauty. The soft song that is not to be heard but to be felt, was in the air.

’Twas a crime, I judged, to squander lazily such a gracious graceful hour within doors.

I and my maid strolled to the Konpira shrine.

Her red stout fingers—like sweet potatoes—didn’t appear so bad tonight, for the moon beautified every ugliness.

Our Emperor should proclaim forbidding woman to be out at any time except under the moonlight.

Without beauty woman is nothing. Face is the whole soul. I prefer death if I am not given a pair of dark velvety eyes.

What a shame even woman must grow old!

One stupid wrinkle on my face would be enough to stun me.

My pride is in my slim fingers of satin skin.

I’ll carefully clean my roseate finger-nails before I’ll land in America.

Our wooden clogs sounded melodious, like a rhythmic prayer unto the sky. Japs fit themselves to play music even with footgear. Every house with a lantern at its entrance looked a shrine cherishing a thousand idols within.

I kneeled to the Konpira god.

I didn’t exactly see how to address him, being ignorant what sort of god he was.

I felt thirsty when I reached home. Before I pulled a bucket from the well, I peeped down into it. The moonbeams were beautifully stealing into the waters.

My tortoise-shell comb from my head dropped into the well.

The waters from far down smiled, heartily congratulating me on going to Amerikey.

* quoted from An American Diary of a Japanese girl

Well, the fact that it was actually written by a man explains why it felt so odd at times, but it doesn't explain everything. This novel follows miss Morning Glory, a young Japanese girl who (accompanied by her wealthy uncle) embarks on a trip across United States of America. Miss Morning Glory, only eighteen of age, seems like a superficial girl, worrying mostly about her physical appearance and having fun. She is portrayed as anything but a  serious type. Morning Glory often makes fun of people and things in a superficial way. However, as the story progresses, she reveals herself as anything but an ordinary girl, often taking initiative in things. Her character grows a bit more complex with the passage of time. Soon Miss Morning Glory surprises the reader by doing all kind of extravagant things, like running a tobacco shop for a lady who visits her sick husband or secretly dressing as a man, things that would raise eyebrows if a high society girl did them even today. Miss Morning Glory seems to delight in breaking conventions but at the same time she seems to be criticizing others often enough. Or is she? Perhaps Morning Glory might well as she makes her comparisons between the Japanese and the American society, but often it seems like she's criticizing both of them. Maybe that is the point, but as I said, I had a hard time figuring what is meant to be ruthless satire and what plain description. That's something that bugged me a bit while I was reading, but I still enjoyed this unusual book. 

Činjenica da ju je zapravo napisao muškarac objašnjava zašto se ponekad ova knjiga činila tako čudnom, ali ne objašnjava sve. Ovaj roman prati gospođicu Morning Glory, mladu japansku djevojku koja (u pratnji svog bogatog ujaka) kreće na putovanje Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama. Miss Morning Glory, sa samo osamnaest godina, doima se kao površna djevojka, koja najviše brine o svom fizičkom izgledu i zabavi. Ona je prikazana kao sve samo ne kao ozbiljan tip. Morning Glory često ismijava ljude i stvari na površan način. Međutim, kako priča odmiče, ona se otkriva kao sve samo ne kao obična djevojka, koja često preuzima inicijativu u stvarima. Njezin lik s vremenom postaje sve složeniji. Uskoro Miss Morning Glory iznenađuje čitatelja radeći razne ekstravagantne stvari, poput vođenja trgovine duhanom za gospođu koja posjećuje svog bolesnog muža ili potajno odijevanja kao muškarac, stvari koje bi podigle obrve da ih i danas radi djevojka iz visokog društva. Čini se da gospođica Morning Glory uživa u kršenju konvencija, ali u isto vrijeme čini se da dovoljno često kritizira druge. Ili je li to stvarno tako? Možda bi Morning Glory mogla i dobro uspoređivati ​​japansko i američko društvo, ali često se čini kao da kritizira oboje. Možda je to i poanta, ali kao što sam rekla, bilo mi je teško shvatiti što je nemilosrdna satira, a što običan opis. To je nešto što me malo mučilo dok sam čitala, ali sam ipak uživala u ovoj neobičnoj knjizi.

What was the author trying to do with this one? Is it mostly satire? Or is it a real commentary? How funny and how serious is it supposed to be? Having finished it, I'm none the wiser. I still cannot say that I understand what it is really about or what kind of book it is. I wasn't able to find much information on it, apart that Yone Noguchi had the editorial assistance of Blanche Partington and Léonie Gilmour in writing it. How influential was that help? Speaking of that, I read that Léonie was not only Noguchi's editor but also a lover and mother of his children. Despite the fact they never formally married and that he had relationship with other women, Léonie seems to have had quite an influence on his work. An interesting woman for sure, I wonder in what extent Léonie influenced this strange novel. I must admit this book made me read about Yone Noguchi and Léonie, they seemed like such fascinating people. I possibly had more fun reading about the two of them than reading this book. I feel there's a movie story somewhere in there. 

Što je autor pokušao učiniti s ovim? Je li to uglavnom satira? Ili je to pravi komentar? Koliko smiješno i koliko ozbiljno bi to trebalo biti? Nakon što sam  završila čitati ovu knjigu, osjećam da nisam ništa mudrija. Još uvijek ne mogu reći da razumijem o čemu se zapravo radi ili o kakvoj se knjizi radi. Nisam uspjela pronaći puno informacija o ovoj knjizi, osim da je Yone Noguchi imao uredničku pomoć Blanche Partington i Léonie Gilmour u pisanju. Koliko je ta pomoć bila utjecajna? Kad smo kod toga, pročitao sam da Léonie nije bila samo Noguchijeva urednica nego i ljubavnica i majka njegove djece. Unatoč činjenici da se nikada nisu formalno vjenčali i da je imao veze s drugim ženama, čini se da je Léonie imala popriličan utjecaj na njegov rad. Zanimljiva žena sigurno, pitam se u kojoj je mjeri Léonie utjecala na ovaj čudni roman. Moram priznati da me ova knjiga natjerala da čitam o Yoneu Noguchiju i Léonie, čine mi se tako fascinantnim ljudima. Vjerojatno sam se više zabavila čitajući o njih dvoje nego čitajući ovu knjigu. Osjećam da je tu negdje skriva filmska priča.

The American Diary of a Japanese girl is a first work in English by a Japanese writer. I cannot tell whether the broken English or foreign syntax is intentional or not and if yes to what extent. I'm almost certain that at times it is, because it is meant to make the girl sound authentic (and hence not fully fluent in English). I understand this book was originally marketed as a genuine autobiography. However, the language in this book is hardly consistent. At times miss Morning Glory sounds like quite an intellectual and one wiser than her years, while at other times she sounds a simpleton who doesn't speak English well. The result is a linguistic mess. All in all, the writing is lacking in many ways. A more consistent style would have made this 'autobiography' a more mature work. As miss Morning Glory, jumps from topic to topic, it is easy to get confused. Some of her observations are interesting, but there are so many of them and they aren't organized in some rational way so it can get confusing.

I felt like there might be clever jokes in this one, but I was not able to pick them up. Maybe some day I decide to read it again and then it might make more sense to me. It is surely relevant from a historical point of view. As a lover of history, I did enjoy some aspects of this novel. However, I was still baffled with it most of the time. I really don't know what to make of it. I liked it but I'm not sure I understood anything in this novel correctly. Well, at least it is original! 

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would. It's a bit unusual, but at least it is one of a kind. 

Američki dnevnik japanske djevojke prvo je djelo na engleskom jeziku nekog japanskog pisca. Ne mogu reći je li pogrešna engleska sintaksa namjerna ili ne i ako da, u kojoj mjeri. Gotovo sam sigurna da ponekad jest, jer je namijenjeno da djevojka zvuči autentično (i stoga ne govori engleski posve točno). Pročitala sam da je ova knjiga izvorno reklamirana kao prava autobiografija. Međutim, jezik u ovoj knjizi nije dosljedan. Na trenutke miss Morning Glory zvuči kao poprilična intelektualka i mudrija od svojih godina, dok ponekad zvuči kao ograničena djevojka koja ne govori dobro engleski. Rezultat je jezična zbrka. Sve u svemu, pisanju nedostaje vještine na mnogo načina. Dosljedniji stil bi ovu 'autobiografiju' učinio zrelijim djelom. Dok gospođica Morning Glory skače s teme na temu, lako se zbuniti. Neka od njezinih zapažanja su zanimljiva, ali ih ima jako puno i nisu organizirana na neki racionalan način pa je to zbunjujuće.

Osjećala sam da u ovoj knjizi možda ima pametnih šala, ali nisam ih uspjela shvatiti. Možda ju jednog dana odlučim ponovno pročitati i tada bi mi mogla imati više smisla. Zasigurno je relevantna s povijesne točke gledišta. Kao zaljubljenica u povijest, uživala  sam u nekim aspektima ovog romana. Međutim, većinu vremena i dalje sam bio zbunjena. Stvarno ne znam što bih mislila o ovoj knjizi. Svidjelo mi se, ali nisam sigurna da sam išta u ovom romanu  ustinu shvatila. No, barem je originalan!

Bih li preporučila ovu knjigu? Da, bih. Malo je neobična, ali barem je jedinstvena.

MORE JAPANESE AUTHORS TO READ

BEST BOOKS AND FAV WRITERS OF 2018 (modaodaradosti.blogspot.com)

Sundays are for Murakami (South Of The Border, West Of Sun) / Nedjelje su za Murakamija ( Južno od granice, zapadno od sunca) (modaodaradosti.blogspot.com)

KAFKA ON THE SHORE, A NOVEL BY HARUKI MURAKAMI (BOOK REVIEW & OUTFIT PROPOSAL) (modaodaradosti.blogspot.com)

READING UPDATE: MURAKAMI, KUNDERA, SMITH AND PHILIP K. DICK (modaodaradosti.blogspot.com)

Thank you for stopping by and reading. Have a lovely day!

Hvala što se svratili i čitali. Želim vam ugodan dan!