It’s strange, but when I have to speak in front of an audience, I find it more comfortable to use my far-from-perfect English than Japanese. I think this is because when I have to speak seriously about something in Japanese I’m overcome with the feeling of being swallowed up in a sea of words. There’s an infinite number of choices for me, infinite possibilities. As a writer, Japanese and I have a tight relationship. So if I’m going to speak in front of an undefined large group of people, I grow confused and frustrated when faced by that teeming ocean of words.
With Japanese, I want to cling, as much as I can, to the act of sitting alone at my desk and writing. On this home ground of writing I can catch hold of words and context effectively, just the way I want to, and ...
James added What I Talk About When I Talk About Running to their library.
"What about those leaflets the POWs had on them, where they said we eat Belgian babies? People who write things like that ought to be strung up. They’re the real villains."
People must take a modicum of public responsibility for each other even if they have no ties to each other. This is a lesson that nobody learns by being told. It is learned from the experience of other people without ties of kinship or close friendship or formal responsibility to you take a modicum of responsibility for you.