A Personal Matter
A Personal Matter (Template:Lang-ja; Kojinteki na taiken) is a novel by Japanese writer Kenzaburō Ōe. Written in 1964, the novel is semi-autobiographical and dark in tone. It tells the story of Bird, a man who must come to terms with the birth of his mentally disabled son.
Plot
Bird's son is born with a brain hernia, like Ōe's was. Bird tries to escape his responsibility for the child and his crumbling relationship with his wife, turning to alcohol and an old girlfriend. He is fired from his job teaching at a cram school in the process. He half attempts to kill the child, albeit indirectly, and is forced to decide whether he wants to keep the child.
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