Yoshimoto Banana Q & A

       In The Hindu Tishani Doshi has a Q & A with popular Japanese author Yoshimoto Banana which is about as upbeat as the headline: 'If I were young today, I might have already killed myself'.
       Still, aside from the unusual disclosures -- "I personally enjoy horror movies, especially Italian horror movies" -- some interesting odds and ends, including:

Given the contemporary context in Japan, do you think writers should become more directly political ?

The society in Japan makes it difficult to write politically. If I wrote directly espousing any kind of political idea or political group, then the leader of this group will come to me and begin a dialogue and ask questions. And it will never stop from there.

       See also the Yoshimoto titles under review at the complete review: Goodbye Tsugumi and The Lake.