There have been numerous books adapted from diaries and memoirs written during and/or about that have been noteworthy. A Conscience at War: A Japanese Soldier’s Story is not one of them. Enticed by the promise that this is a “gripping and potent tale” and accolades such as “an engaging and smooth read, beautifully written, thoroughly enjoyed, terrific book”, one could be forgiven for feeling cheated.
This story, created from the 1945 diary of a young Japanese soldier stationed in the Philippines, chronicles his experience of day-to-day life in camp as a mechanic in a non-combat unit juxtaposed with an imagined version of his supposedly ideal upbringing and pre-war life at home, in the Japanese countryside.
“We try and hold on to some kind of ideals, when everything - ideals, hope, everything is being destroyed.” In writing these words, Anne Frank could have been referring to this …show more content…
What is perplexing is the choice of tense for each section. Present tense for the past and past tense for the present.
We are told that Takashi Miyake is not the soldier’s real name so it begs the question: how much of the story is real and how much is construed? Initially, the descriptive language of the italicised section clearly identifies it as the author’s creation but as the story progresses, the two sections become merged and reality becomes intertwined with fantasy.
What makes it more difficult to read are the obvious pitfalls of translating from Japanese to English, or should I say ‘American’. It is no secret that translations from Japanese to English are fraught with difficulties and merely transferring word order/terminology from Japanese into English can lead to a translation that is awkward at best, and just plain wrong at
This story, created from the 1945 diary of a young Japanese soldier stationed in the Philippines, chronicles his experience of day-to-day life in camp as a mechanic in a non-combat unit juxtaposed with an imagined version of his supposedly ideal upbringing and pre-war life at home, in the Japanese countryside.
“We try and hold on to some kind of ideals, when everything - ideals, hope, everything is being destroyed.” In writing these words, Anne Frank could have been referring to this …show more content…
What is perplexing is the choice of tense for each section. Present tense for the past and past tense for the present.
We are told that Takashi Miyake is not the soldier’s real name so it begs the question: how much of the story is real and how much is construed? Initially, the descriptive language of the italicised section clearly identifies it as the author’s creation but as the story progresses, the two sections become merged and reality becomes intertwined with fantasy.
What makes it more difficult to read are the obvious pitfalls of translating from Japanese to English, or should I say ‘American’. It is no secret that translations from Japanese to English are fraught with difficulties and merely transferring word order/terminology from Japanese into English can lead to a translation that is awkward at best, and just plain wrong at