Rouse Up O Young Men of the New Age!

Rouse Up O Young Men of the New Age!

"Rouse Up, O Young Men of the New Age!" (新しい人よ、眼ざめよ; "Atarashii hito yo mezameyo") is a 1983 semi-autobiographical novel by Japanese author Kenzaburo Oe, about his day-to-day life with his mentally handicapped son, Hikari (represented by an alter ego called "Eeyore") and the effect that William Blake's poetry has had on both his life and work.

Plot summary

The novelist K., similar but not identical to Oe, wishes to write a set of definitions to prepare handicapped children like his son for the real world. He struggles with definitions for concepts such as "death," only to learn that his son Eeyore has just as much to teach him about life. Oe relates his interpretations of events with Eeyore in light of Blake's poetry, and discusses the influence of and similarities between Blake's work on his own.

Major themes

Politics also become a theme of the novel. K. and Eeyore share a pool with former Tatenokai; Eeyore is kidnapped by radicals who wish to force K. into making some sort of political commitment; K. attends seminars in West Germany on nuclear proliferation.

Editions in English

(translated by John Nathan)
*hardback ISBN 0-8021-1710-4
*paperback ISBN 0-8021-3968-X


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The United States of America —     The United States of America     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The United States of America     BOUNDARIES AND AREA     On the east the boundary is formed by the St. Croix River and an arbitrary line to the St. John, and on the north by the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Durham Proverbs — is a collection of 46 Mediæval proverbs from various sources. They were written down as a collection, in the eleventh century, on some pages (pages 43 verso to 45 verso, between a hymnal and a collection of canticles) of a manuscript that were… …   Wikipedia

  • The Lord of the Rings — This article is about the novel. For other uses, see The Lord of the Rings (disambiguation). The Lord of the Rings Tolkien s own cover designs for the three volumes Volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring …   Wikipedia

  • The Forty Days of Musa Dagh — infobox Book | name = The Forty Days of Musa Dagh title orig = Die vierzig Tage des Musa Dagh translator = image caption = author = Franz Werfel cover artist = country = Germany language = German series = genre = Historical, War novel publisher …   Wikipedia

  • Kenzaburō Ōe — Ōe, in 2005 Born January 31, 1935 (1935 01 31) (age 76) Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture, Japan Occupation …   Wikipedia

  • Blake, William — born Nov. 28, 1757, London, Eng. died Aug. 12, 1827, London English poet, painter, engraver, and visionary. Though he did not attend school, he was trained as an engraver at the Royal Academy and opened a print shop in London in 1784. He… …   Universalium

  • Hikari Ōe — (大江 光, Ōe Hikari?, born June 13, 1963) is a Japanese composer who has autism. He is the son of Japanese author Kenzaburō Ōe. Hikari Ōe was born developmentally disabled. Doctors tried to convince his parents to let their son die, but they refused …   Wikipedia

  • John Nathan — (born 1940) is the translator of Japanese works written by celebrated authors such as Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe. He is also an Emmy award winning director of several documentaries and author of numerous works on Japan. After graduating from… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Caribbean — The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers since the fifteenth century. In the twentieth century the Caribbean was again important during World War II, in the… …   Wikipedia

  • 2000 New Year Honours — The insignia of the Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George: Andrew Wood was awarded the Grand Cross in this Honours list. The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”