Interview: "Free-Falling" and "Serendipity": An Interview with Joy Kogawa

Abstract

Resume: Dans ses romans tels Obasan et Itsuka et son seul récit destiné à la jeunesse, Naomi's Road, la romancière Joy Kogawa a voulu sensibiliser le public à la difficile situation des citoyens d'origine japonaise durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Dans cette entrevue, elle évoque les problèmes d'identité que sous-tend son oeuvre romanesque. Summary: In this interview, Joy Kogawa produces a fascinating commentary on the construction of personal identity. She sets this discourse within three generations of her own family, talking about her perception of herself as white in her own childhood, about how her writing of and response to the reception of Obasan has changed her, and about how their perception of racism has affected her own children. She also provides commentary on the crafting of Naomi's Road, her children's version of Obasan, her internationally acclaimed novel about the experience of the Canadian-Japanese during World War II. As well, she gives insight into how personal memories, archival work, and creativity all coalesce in the production of art.