(tent) God 2011

The bear invited me out for a walk. It was the first time since “that event.” Originally written in 1993 as God—Hiromi Kawakami’s literary debut—this quietly surreal tale is reborn in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Without adopting a grand stance or explicitly warning against the dangers of nuclear power, God 2011 instead conveys a deeper sense of awe: that everyday life, though it appears to continue unchanged, can be suddenly and profoundly transformed. Published in the literary magazine Gunzo, this revised version has drawn widespread attention for its understated yet powerful reflection on disaster, memory, and the fragility of the ordinary.“In 2011, I wrote ‘God 2011’ anew. I didn’t write it as a direct warning about the dangers of nuclear energy. What I wanted to express was the deep, unsettling realization that daily life continues— and yet, it holds within it the possibility of sudden, irreversible change.” —From the Afterword