“I cannot talk about myself otherwise than by saying "Japan, the Ambiguous, and Myself".”

— Kenzaburō Ōe

Japan, The Ambiguous, and Myself (1994)
Context: In the rest of my lecture I would like to use the word "ambiguous" in accordance with the distinction made by the eminent British poet Kathleen Raine; she once said of William Blake that he was not so much vague as ambiguous. I cannot talk about myself otherwise than by saying "Japan, the Ambiguous, and Myself".

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Oct. 2, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "I cannot talk about myself otherwise than by saying "Japan, the Ambiguous, and Myself"." by Kenzaburō Ōe?

Kenzaburō Ōe 43

Japanese author 1935

Related quotes

“This may sound a little West Texan to you, but I like it. When I'm talking about.. when I'm talking about myself, and when he's talking about myself, all of us are talking about me.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

“My characters are ambiguous. Call them that. I don't mind. I am ambiguous myself. Who isn't?”

Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007) Italian film director and screenwriter

Encountering Directors interview (1969)

“I'm not good at talking about myself.”

Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games

Source: The Hunger Games

“What does it mean when people say I cannot walk by myself, I cannot travel by myself? I have a mouth to talk, I have a brain to think, I can walk, and I have a cane to find my way around. Then why can I not travel by myself? I was like a bird in a cage, not allowed to come out without an escort. But now my life has been transformed.”

Tiffany Brar (1988) Indian Social Activist

As quoted in They Say the Blind Should Not Lead the Blind. She Proves Them Wrong. https://www.thebetterindia.com/40485/tiffany-brar-working-for-blind/ (December 22, 2015) by Ranjini Sivaswamy, The Better India.

“To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings. To say that the human soul, angels, god, are immaterial, is to say they are nothings, or that there is no god, no angels, no soul. I cannot reason otherwise: but I believe I am supported in my creed of materialism by Locke, Tracy, and Stewart. At what age of the Christian church this heresy of immaterialism, this masked atheism, crept in, I do not know. But heresy it certainly is. […] I am satisfied, and sufficiently occupied with the things which are, without tormenting or troubling myself about those which may indeed be, but of which I have no evidence.”

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) 3rd President of the United States of America

Letter http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/jefferson_jadms.html to John Adams (15 August 1820)
1820s

“I don't want to talk about things I haven't seen, so if they want me to talk about those things, I've got to go there and see for myself.”

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) First wife of Charles, Prince of Wales

International Special Report: Princess Diana, 1961–1997, The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/diana/stories/glamor0901.htm,