Buruma's Fiction

not Li Xianglan; not even close:

"CHINA LOVER"
the words jump out at you, as if you were some child arguing in a playground and the other child shouts "well, you're nothing but a no-good China lover!"
Welcome to Mr. Buruma's playground.

11.29.14
First impressions of Ian Buruma's fiction novel "The China Lover" (Penguin Books, 2008). 

He states on the (un-numbered) last page of this 392 page book:

"This is a work of fiction based on historical events. Some were invented, others took place, though not always quite in the way they appear in this book. I owe a great debt to Otaka Yoshiko, formerly known as Yoshiko Yamaguchi, who graciously allowed me to interview her on several occasions in Tokyo. Her memoir, Ri Koran, Watashi no Hansei (Half My Life as Ri Koran), (Shincho Bunka, Tokyo, 1987) was an invaluable source of information on her extraordinary life in China."

The fact that this page is where it is, indicates that it too is part of the fiction and should be read as such.

My advice to anyone reading this book is to cut the above page out and paste it behind the title page where it should have been in the first place. It's not only an ungrammatical gordian knot: Some were invented, others took place, though not always quite in the way they appear in this book. What exactly does this mean?

It's a sweeping admission that clearly admits: I made this up out of some historical facts and a lot of 'whole cloth'. Even though he claims that most of the novel depiction is true, I have no faith he's speaking honestly, merely being sardonic, or how he interprets the concept of "truth".

Here's the interview where he makes his bald claim:

http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/ian-buruma/

 As I begin reading this book, the word that comes to mind is disingenuous (ie, not truly honest or sincere). In addition, the feeling I have is that the author has used his relationship (if there even was one) with Yamaguchi (and the information which she allegedly conveyed to him and which only he and her, now deceased, know) to write an intellectually deceitful account of her life. There is absolutely no way to tell which details of this book are true and which details are fabricated. As for the motives behind Mr. Buruma's usage of Ms. Yamaguchi, all the usual suspects can be in that line-up, from the tawdry to the high-minded.

I have seen no reference to any scholarly publication or otherwise which presents Buruma's discussions with her (or if, in fact they even took place) in a forum of which Yamaguchi gave her approval. Until I find such a reference, or photos, or anything at all, I will believe Mr. Buruma may have taken advantage of someone in advanced age and poor health who may have entrusted him with valuable and intimate details concerning her life. His whole project to use her for his own gain is suspect (and fairly obvious to those of us who've been 'sleuthing' and looking for genuine information). 

I can only wonder at this point if this work of fiction (which sadly uses many real names of people and has them act and say fabrications) added to the burdens which drove Yamaguchi to become a recluse in the year 2010. Mr Buruma may indeed be a fan of hers, but he has severely wounded her reputation and the memory of her good name by mixing fact and fiction, his own sexual fantasies regarding Chinese women (and god knows what else) in putting together this book. It may transpire in time that we find some communication or information from Yoshiko regarding what she thought of "The China Lover";  if so, I will eat my words and apologize to Mr. Buruma when and if the situation calls for it. That's it for today, and in future posts, I intend to expand on the above ideas. 

--x--x--x--x--

11.30.14
It's strange, but I get the distinct feeling from phrases he uses that Mr. Buruma is looking at the same photographs I am looking at, and dreamed up likely scenarios that carry a whiff of authenticity. It was uncanny how I wrote about the young Yoshiko's eyes, and then opened The China Lover to read what Buruma's active imagination thought of them. It doesn't seem to me that Buruma has anything other than the old photos (which thankfully are all over the internet) and an active imagination.

Another reason that I doubt Yamaguchi gave any such private information to Buruma about her family or life, was the pattern, number, and style of interviews she previously granted to well-known and certainly not negatively motivated writers. By the time Buruma claims to have met Yamaguchi, she had said all she had to say about her early life, and this was done in reputable publications. The very idea that she would sit down with someone intending to write a fictionalized account of her life and tell him derogatory things about her own father (for example) is preposterous. Her previous interviews are notable for the diplomatic way in which she handles all kinds of questions about the big and the small details of her life. Buruma makes her look like a bubble-brain.

Buruma also has the annoying habit of mixing his usage of real names and imaginery names. Perhaps this ruse appeals to a certain segment of the reading population, who enjoy going off into other worlds of the imagination where, say, a small bunch of inglorius bastards are capable of changing history. People who know little about the real events of Yamaguchi's life will unfortunately tend to swallow Buruma's fictions whole, as many reviewers have. 

--x--x--x--x--

12.2014
After reading more of the book (parts 1 and 2), it seems to me that Buruma is a literary 'hit-man'. He portrays Yamaguchi as a simpleton and has her saying one inanity after another. What a disappointment to read this trashing of her life-story! 

What I fail to understand is how someone can make passable and even interesting comments about other cultures and historical events, yet write such execrable fiction when it comes to interaction between people - this author seems tone-deaf as to how real people relate and talk to one another.  

02.2015
One thing which Buruma got right was the fact that Yamaguchi's life had so many different phases and events, that it took 3 mere mortal people to encompass it! (even fictionally as he has done).

03.2015
Closely reading the first few chapters of the new translation of Yamaguchi's memoirs from University of Hawaii Press (see Books link for further details on this book). It appears that Buruma has indeed (as he states in his Acknowledgements noted above) used many of the details from her memoir to create his book. Apparently, he has also embellished these details with other details, the truthfulness of which we have no way of knowing. But I must admit that Yamaguchi has been very revealing in her memoir, confirming the basic veracity, but not every detail of, certain scenes which Buruma gives us in "The China Lover".

As an example of the above, Yamaguchi's memoir confirms the scene where she meets Kawashima (YK) in Tianjin in the summer of 1937 at a classy restaurant which was YK's base of operations. However, in no place in the memoir have I found any confirmation from Yamaguchi that she ever danced with Kawashima, as Buruma's novel claims. It may have actually happened. 

04-2015
The following links are presented to give background information on the comments of Z. Peter Mitchell below addressed to Ian Buruma. This first link is to the Rotten Tomatoes review of House of Bamboo (which contains many reviews by different people):
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1140677-house_of_bamboo/

this link is to the Keith Uhlich review itself:
http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/house-of-bamboo

this link is to the NY Times review of Japanese War Bride:
http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0CE2D7133CE53ABC4850DFB7668389649EDE

and lastly, the artforum.com link:
http://artforum.com/film/id=50948

Needless to say, I am in complete agreement with Peter Mitchell's comments below. 
Ian Buruma's answer to Peter confirms his position: a non-response to all the major points and an attempt to belittle anyone who questions his fiction about Yamaguchi. 

I suppose this is as good a place as any to mention what the prejudicial title itself The China Lover reveals about Buruma's thought process: it is dismissive and it perfectly expresses his disrespect and disdain. Someone who is born, bred, raised and schooled in another country is not merely "a China lover" unless your basic intention is negative to begin with.    

  
  

to be continued: