Yōko Ogawa

"Every human being has something violent inside, but most of us try to hide it. In the same way, we try to ignore the dangers that lurk in everyday experience, to skirt them and pass by. But, at the sa…"

"…But now that my son has grown, I feel like I was at my happiest when I was writing while raising my child…Now that I can write as much as I want 24 hours a day, it’s not as if I produce any greater w…"

"Contemporary Japanese society appears to be safe and comfortable, but I wanted to write about the shapeless violence and danger that lurk beneath the surface. Somehow I hit on agricultural chemicals i…"

"…People try to hide it from others or try to cover it up…But in the world of literature, you can reveal that nature, and it’s OK to do so."