Often, people accept and adopt whatever version of a story they are presented with. It is easy to accept stories at a glance, simplistically, and not invest the time to see past, and deeper, into the complexity and sometimes overwhelming truth that they hold. Most stories are profound, with many and varied perspectives and experiences weaved in to them. Reading Joy Kogawa’s story has one working towards understanding the Japanese-Canadian internment through the story of just one girl.
Our class visit to the Rare Books and Special Collections Library has been one of my favourite experiences at UBC thus far. Holding in my hands the original copies of works by Joy Kogawa, someone so influential, is impactful. Holding the original copies of letters, newspapers and sheets belonging to a range of people, from the ordinary man, to a school girl, to the Prime Minister of Canada, was significant and moving.
When reading Obasan, or any book for that matter, I often see only what is in front of me – the final work. Holding these rare and old, original documents in my hands, fills me with wonder. There is so much more than just the final work.
Like a thriving tree, in the roots of her work are the first drafts that developed and grew deeper. Rejection letters and editorials build the foundation until the final version of the story is published. Thereon, letters from readers, continued activism work and much more grow and grow; still, her work continues to spread far and wide. Looking through her Fonds, I feel as though I am a witness to the journey of the creation, the final work itself and the ensuing journey beyond.
Looking through Kogawa’s first and developing drafts, I can imagine her thoughts and feelings as I read. I can picture her at her desk, having traumatic memories resurface and struggling to capture and compose it on paper. I see rejection letters from publishers, and can imagine her opening them in heartbreak. I sympathize with her and this imagined heartbreak, now that, after looking through the Kogawa Fonds, I feel a more intimate connection with her.
Being given the opportunity to gain this insight is having the chance to see more than just the novel. It gives tangible evidence of truth. Memory becomes graspable in documents, letters and drafts. I have a deeper and truer understanding of the journey both before and after the novel’s release.
