Keiichiro Hirano participated in “The 2021 PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature” , held online May 18-22.
He talked about “At the End of the Matinee”, the English version of one of his representative works, and the importance of love in bridging cultural divides.
Following his talk, the author was joined by translator Juliet Winters Carpenter to discuss their shared journey to bring this sweeping love story to English readers. The conversation was moderated by Allison Markin Powell, award-winning translator and member of PEN America’s Translation Committee.
Please have a look！
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 Love, At 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.