Vintage Books, 2010
180 p.
ISBN 978-00-99521-34-1
Post hau ingelesez dago.
Japanese literature is becoming more and more popular. And that should not surprise anyone: it usually transmits emotions in a way that fills readers and at the same time brings a lot of calm. It does not need many flourishes, the style is often minimalist and the plot is not usually accelerated. And that’s also the case with Yoko Ogawa‘s The Housekeeper and the Professor.
The story is narrated by the woman who works as a cleaner in an agency. One day she is sent to the professor’s house, an older man retired from university work after a terrible accident due to which his memory lasts only 80 minutes. He lives anchored in the past so that every morning he discovers again that the world he knows no longer exists. The monotony and tragedy of his life are the same every day, until Root, the maid’s 10-year-old son, arrives. It is a story that is at once sad, full of empathy and somehow comforting. What could end up being “just that”, also amazes by transmitting the professor’s passion: his love of science, of mathematics. Somehow all the communication with the professor is impregnated with formulas and calculations. The same fascination infects Root and his mother and the lives of all three change.
In the fast-paced life we lead, in the daily disappointments and fatigue, books like this are very refreshing. We highly recommend it. And in case you read it, you can join us at the Donostia Book Club meeting on April, 8th or think about these questions on your own:
The characters in The Housekeeper and the Professor are nameless (“Root” is only a nickname). What does it mean when an author chooses not to name the people in her book? How does that change your relationship to them as a reader?
Discuss some of the creative ways in which Yoko Ogawa imagines her memory-impaired Professor, from the notes pinned to his suit to the sadness he feels every morning.
As Root and the Housekeeper grow and move forward in their lives, the Professor stays in one place (in fact he is deteriorating, moving backwards). And yet, the bond among the three of them grows strong. How is it possible for this seemingly one-sided relationship to thrive? What does Ogawa seem to be saying about memory and the very foundations of our profoundest relationships?
In a book where all of the families are broken (including the Professor’s), what do you think Ogawa is saying about how families are composed? Do we all, in fact, have a fundamental desire to be a part of a family? Does it matter whom it’s made of?
The sum of all numbers between one and ten is not difficult to figure out, but the Professor insists that Root find the answer in a particular way. Ultimately Root and the Housekeeper come to the answer together. Is there a thematic importance to their method of solving the problem? Generally, how does Ogawa use math to illustrate a whole worldview?
Baseball is a game full of statistics, and therefore numbers. Discuss the very different ways in which Root and the Professor love the game.
How does Ogawa depict the culture of contemporary Japan in The Housekeeper and the Professor? In what ways does is it seem different from western culture?
Questions by the editorial Picador USA