Norma Field

Norma Field is the Robert S. Ingersoll Distinguished Service Professor in Japanese Studies in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago, where she has taught since 1983.  Professor Field has published extensively in both English and Japanese.  She is the author of recent works such as Kobayashi Takiji: 21 seiki ni dou yomuka, which was published by Iwanami in 2009, as well as The Splendor of Longing in the Tale of Genji, In the Realm of a Dying Emperor, and From My Grandmother’s Bedside (which can be accessed online here). She translated Natsume Sôseki’s novel Sorekara (And Then) into English, and along with Heather Bowen-Struyk, she is co-editing the highly anticipated forthcoming book Literature for Revolution: An Anthology of Japanese Proletarian Writings, which will be published by the University of Chicago Press.  Prof. Field wrote the poem “Before Then,” and she collaborated with the musician oto in the recording of the poem excerpted in today’s podcast. You can listen to the entire recording by visiting this website.  Simply scroll down to “Before Then” and download to enjoy.  Both the English and Japanese versions are available for download on oto’s website.

Professor Field is interviewed by Zoe Brewster, a 4^th year double major in Biomedical Sciences and East Asian Studies at McGill University.  In this delightful and upbeat interview, Zoe asks Prof. Field about her interest in Kobayashi Takiji and proletarian literature, as well as the importance of solidarity, the impact of radiation on minorities, the poor, and the colonized, as well as where young people in Japan today are looking for inspiration. The music featured in today’s podcast was selected by Zoe.  She found a song by the pop duo Puffy called “Atarashii hibi” via a source on The Internationale, one of Professor Field’s favorite songs. You can enjoy listening to The Internationale in Japanese, a recent English version by Billy Bragg, and many more versions here.

The edited version is 60 minutes long, and if you would like to download it, please click here. The unedited version is 63 minutes long, and if you would like to listen to it, please click here.

If you would like to stream it, please click on the arrow below.

http://ia700409.us.archive.org/11/items/ZoeinterviewsNormaeditedversion/mixdown_week4.mp3″