Amélie Nothomb & Kaori Ekuni

 
The enemy's cosmetique             

                                                          Twinkle Twinkle   

 Here are two famous authors in this centurly. You can find this two womens books in the  any bookshops anytime!
  If you haven't read their books, how about guess about them?

  I think this pictures describes their style very effecitenly.
  (Obviously, a photopgraphor aims to maximization the image of author. maybe for commercial?)

Anyway, First author is Amélie Nothomb, Belgian Writer who writes in French. And Next author is Kaori Ekuni, Japaneses.
I used to read their books. These days, I'm interested in another authors but It doesn't mean they are not good.
 Actually their books are terrific!


British Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge said we can understand books - poetry, novels, essay anything - even we know nothing about writer.
Do you agree with him? He expained "a text can be seperated from whole context because a text is an organism."

Then, how about trace a author behind a text through her text?

Let's check the title of her books.

Hygiène de l'assassin (The hygiene of the assassin)

Le Sabotage amoureux (Loving Sabotage)

Stupeur et tremblements (Fear and Trembling)

Cosmétique de l'ennemi (The enemy's cosmetique)

Antéchrista

Mercure

Actually she has wrote more than 20 (or 30) books so far. What I select is the books which I have. My favorite one is "Le sabotage Amoureux" and 사랑의 파괴 in Korean.

 Now you might notice that she has an unique style. Her writing style is storng and a bit strange and most of characters are grotesque.

For example, a main character in "Mercure" is an old man who lives together with beautiful young woman. To let her stay in the island with him, the old man tells her lies after an fire accident.

" Your get serious scalded on your face but don't worry. I'll take care of you."

hopeless little young woman believes him and stays with eighty-year old man.
The old man shut the girl up inside an old castle and removed every mirrors and someting similar with mirrors. Later, a woman who comes from a city realizes what happens in the castle and tries to rescue her from the old man.


This kind of people -Murderer, swindler, Violent man & woman - lead Notomb's story.
Her unique speedy writing style addes suspense So people can't stop a reading once they open the book.
She is creative. She is not afraid of experiment in writing.
But her book can make you feel a headache because of excessive stimulation.
and recently I feel she falls into mannerism. (similar with each other)


Here are key words of her works (It's just my opinion)
- Suspence , Violence, Catharsis



Then, How about Ekuni?
when I read her book for the first time - It was Hotel Cactus - I thought her style is very dry but not hard-boild and creative. Then It was a book for images. (I'm sure)

I don't know what have you feel about her books but in my case, whenever I finish her books I felt kind of emptiness.

It is very dry feeling but not hard. It's like.. um.  A dry flower on a wall.
Her works aesthetic and synaesthetic.While I read the book I can imagine the houses and people and even the smell. And Her novels well describe a loneliness of recent people. 
However, she rarely writes about solutions or resistance. Her characters usually accept the pressure or run away from a life. 
In the case of Tokyo Tower, A married woman who has luxury house and successful husband throws her perfect life away to meet a young boy.(very very younger than her)
I don't blame her love. It is less objectionable for me ^^... however, I'm very curious what the woman is going to do in the future. 


It's similar with the last scene of "The Graduate" but more emotional and unrealistic. 
oh... I feel like I'm a pessimist. What I mean is, To me It's not easy to feel sympathy with Ekuni novel's character. anyway, Still I read her books. 
Her books are tasty  - like a cup of slightly bitter tea. but sometimes boring. 






Her major works are

A crying is ready ,  Twinkle Twinkle ,  Hotel Cactus ,  Tokyo Tower

(Is it ok? I have no idea how to translate the title in English)

I think her key words are -  Loneliness , Delicay , Indigo

Have you watch 'Tokyo Tower'?
I like this movie. I don't know why :-)
Maybe because of Rachmaninoff !




p.s
I'm very unhappy with this posting ㅜㅜ 
I could't express my feeling and thinking in English. sorry about that~