Exophony
Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue
(Author) Yoko Tawada'Tawada's strange, exquisite book toys with ideas of language, identity and what it means to own someone else's story or one's own' The New Yorker on Tawada's Memoirs of a Polar Bear Are you formed by your mother tongue? How might the world unfold if you stepped outside of its rhythms? In this playful and daring interrogation of language, the globally acclaimed Yoko Tawada reveals the poetics, politics and potential of existing outside one's mother tongue. From Senegalese writers discarding colonial-enforced French to the increasing use of loan words in her native Japanese, Tawada deconstructs the ways in which the world shapes and is shaped by languages: their hidden systems of power, their sweeping histories and, ultimately, the people who claim, reject, adapt or romanticise them. Exophony is an invitation to revel in the possibilities that emerge when we dare to seek beyond the familiar - and a sharp, incisive series of essays in which Tawada's erudite wit and multidimensional curiosity sing.
Yoko Tawada
Yoko Tawada is a Japanese writer known for her unique blend of Japanese and German languages in her works. She has written numerous novels, short stories, and essays that explore themes of identity, migration, language, and cultural differences. Tawada's notable works include "The Bridegroom Was a Dog" and "Memoirs of a Polar Bear," which have garnered critical acclaim for their inventive storytelling and thought-provoking narratives. She has been praised for her ability to challenge conventions of language and genre, creating a distinct literary style that defies categorization. Tawada's contributions to literature have had a significant impact on the blending of cultures and languages in contemporary writing, making her a prominent figure in the world of international literature. Her most famous work, "The Emissary," won the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2018.
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