Keiichiro Hirano participated in The Cheltenham Literature Festival , held online October. 11.

Cheltenham is a key Festival to hear from major Japanese writers, with authors including Sayaka Murata, Genki Kawamura, Masatsugu Ono and Kanako Nishi appearing on their stages in recent years.

Hirano talked about “At the End of the Matinee”, the English version of one of his representative works, and his motivation for writing fiction.

Please have a look!


    『AT THE END OF MATINEE

Classical guitarist Satoshi Makino has toured the world and is at the height of his career when he first lays eyes on journalist Yoko Komine. Their bond forms instantly. Upon their first meeting, they begin a conversation that will go on for years, with long spells of silence broken by powerful moments of connection. But neither knows enough about love to see it blooming nor has the confidence to make the first move. Will their connection endure, weaving them back together like instruments in a symphony, or will fate lead them apart?

Blending the harmonies of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nocturnes and the sensuality of Ian McEwan’s Enduring LoveAt the End of the Matinee is an enchanting and thought-provoking love story. Lauded as the “most beautiful love story of the century”, this bestseller continues to boast a wide range of loving readers.