Hello readers,
Recently, my class visited the University of British Columbia’s rare books and special collections library where we were given the privilege to view the fond of novelist Joy Kogawa. In this fond were articles, reviews, and her own papers with information regarding her novel Obasan. In Kogawa’s fond were rejection letters Kogawa received from publishers while she was trying to get Obasan published. These rejection letters were very interesting to me as it revealed what editors thought of Kogawa’s novel, and how those opinions differ to contemporary reviews. The letters also showed the inner strength of Kogawa and her ability to persevere with her mission to make this story heard.
In the rejection letters the editors were very critical, and were finding problems with all of the intricacies that set Obasan apart from other pieces of literature. Kogawa received many rejection letters all criticizing her style, however, she continued on with her poetic style despite the criticism. For me this shows Kogawa’s strength of character. She took this criticism and continued on, not letting it stop her. According to the fond on some days Kogawa would receive multiple rejections on the same day. In my opinion this sounds incredibly hard to handle. Having your hard work get turned down multiple times, and still continuing shows Kogawa’s true dedication. I think that I would be unable to handle the repeated rejection as you watch the work that you put your emotions and experiences into only to be told that it is not publishable. Kogawa, however, persevered even keeping the rejection letters in good condition. These repeated rejections didn’t stop Kogawa and she continued to press for Obasan’s publication until it was finally accepted.
Kogawa’s inner strength allowed her to eventually achieve her mission of publishing her story and press the importance of memory and speaking about the past. Obasan is a piece of Canadian literature that is valued today as a novel that depicts the horrors that Japanese Canadians were forced to live through during the 1940s. Kogawa herself was forced to the internment camps, and to an extent her novel is a truth claim through the outside articles included in the story If Kogawa had given into the publishing companies repeated rejections then Canada would have been deprived of an important piece of literature that helped lead to the outcome of the redress movement. Kogawa’s novel underlined the importance of speaking out about past injustices and Kogawa pressed for this through her novel.
Comments and opinions on Obasan have changed considerably since it was going through publication. Today most reviews on Obasan are positive one example is “Inspired by her personal experience Vancouver born Joy Kogawa tells a powerful and intimate story about her own internment” (Vancouver Public Library). Obasan has also garnered multiple awards like the American Book Award for its emotional story. These awards show how opinions have changed, and how through dedication and persistence Kogawa was able to make Obasan into an important piece of Canadian literature.
Citations
“Obasan by Joy Kogawa.” PenguinRandomhouse.com,
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/391033/obasan-by-joy-kogawa/9780385468862/
“Obasan – Vancouver Public Library.” BiblioCommons,
https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1241045038_obasan
“Joy Kogawa Fond” University of British Columbia’s Rare Books and Special Collections library
