Osamu Dazai talks about novels.
小説の面白さ
太宰治
The Interesting Quality of Novels
Osamu Dazai
小説と云うものは、本来、女子供の読むもので、いわゆる利口な大人が目の色を変えて読み、しかもその読後感を卓を叩いて論じ合うと云うような性質のものではないのであります。小説を読んで、襟《えり》を正しただの、頭を下げただのと云っている人は、それが冗談ならばまた面白い話柄でもありましょうが、事実そのような振舞いを致したならば、それは狂人の仕草と申さなければなりますまい。
Essentially, novels are read by women and children. A so-called intelligent man reads with an altered look in his eyes. Moreover, the impression after reading is not to hit the table and debate. A person who reads a novel, adopts a serious demeanor, and lowers her head may have an interesting topic of conversation if it's a joke. If she behaves that way, it must be called the behavior of a lunatic.
たとえば家庭に於いても女房が小説を読み、亭主が仕事に出掛ける前に鏡に向ってネクタイを結びながら、この頃どんな小説が面白いんだいと聞き、女房答えて、ヘミングウェイの「誰がために鐘は鳴る」が面白かったわ。亭主、チョッキのボタンをはめながら、どんな筋だいと、馬鹿にしきったような口調で訊《たず》ねる。女房、俄《にわ》かに上気し、その筋書を縷々《るる》と述べ、自らの説明に感激しむせび泣く。亭主、上衣を着て、ふむ、それは面白そうだ。そうして、その働きのある亭主は仕事に出掛け、夜は或るサロンに出席し、曰《いわ》く、この頃の小説ではやはり、ヘミングウェイの「誰がために鐘は鳴る」に限るようですな。
For example, a wife reads novels at home. While she ties the tie of her husband facing the mirror before he leaves for work, he asks, "Have you read any interesting novels lately?"
She answers, "Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls was interesting." As her husband starts buttoning his vest, he asks in a mocking tone, "What's that about?"
The wife suddenly flushes and describes the plot in detail. Overwhelmed by her description, she begins to cry. Her husband puts on his jacket. He says, "Uh-huh. That sounds interesting."
The husband who behaves like that leaves for work and attends a salon that evening. Just as I thought, these days novels are all like Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls.
小説と云うものは、そのように情無いもので、実は、婦女子をだませばそれで大成功。その婦女子をだます手も、色々ありまして、或《ある》いは謹厳を装い、或いは美貌をほのめかし、あるいは名門の出だと偽り、或いはろくでもない学識を総ざらいにひけらかし、或いは我が家の不幸を恥も外聞も無く発表し、以て婦人のシンパシーを買わんとする意図明々白々なるにかかわらず、評論家と云う馬鹿者がありまして、それを捧げ奉り、また自分の飯の種にしているようですから、呆れるじゃありませんか。
Novels are heartless in that way. In fact, they have great success in tricking women. Various schemes have been devised to trick women: pretend to be respectful, hint at beauty, lie about coming from a prestigious family, show off worthless scholarship in reviews, or announce the misfortune of one's family without caring about appearances. Despite a clear and unambiguous attempt to gain women's sympathy, stupid people called critics exist. They present novels with respect and make a living, isn't that amazing?
最後に云って置きますが、むかし、滝沢馬琴と云う人がありまして、この人の書いたものは余り面白く無かったけれど、でも、その人のライフ・ワークらしい里見八犬伝の序文に、婦女子のねむけ醒《ざま》しともなれば幸なりと書いてありました。そうして、その婦女子のねむけ醒しのために、あの人は目を潰《つぶ》してしまいまして、それでも、口述筆記で続けたってんですから、馬鹿なもんじゃありませんか。
I'll end by mentioning a man called Takizawa Bakin who lived long ago. Although his writings were not very interesting, in the preface to Satomi Hakkenden, which appears to be his life's work, he wrote it would be fortunate to wake women and girls from their slumber through his writing. He went blind but continued to write by dictation. Was he stupid?
余談のようになりますが、私はいつだか藤村と云う人の夜明け前と云う作品を、眠られない夜に朝までかかって全部読み尽し、そうしたら眠くなってきましたので、その部厚の本を枕元に投げ出し、うとうと眠りましたら、夢を見ました。それが、ちっとも、何にも、ぜんぜん、その作品と関係の無い夢でした。あとで聞いたら、その人が、その作品の完成のために十年間かかったと云うことでした。
As an aside, one night when I could not sleep, I read the entire work called Yoake Mae (Before Dawn) by Fujimura for the rest of the night until morning. After that, I became sleepy, tossed the very thick book beside the bed, dozed off, and dreamed. The dream had absolutely no connection to that work. Later I asked and was told the author took ten years to complete that work.
終わり
The End