Note: all Japanese names in this article are given in Western order, with surname last and given name first

A Personal Matter ( , Kojinteki na taiken) is a novel by Japanese writer Kenzabur e. The novel is replete with imagery of death, decay and sex. Written in 1964, the novel is dark, deeply personal, and semi-autobiographical. 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, like e's, was born with a brain hernia. Bird tries to escape his responsibility for the child and his crumbling relationship with his wife – turning to alcohol and an old girlfriend. Bird 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 make a decision as to whether or not he wants to keep the child.

Themes

Though the novel has a "happy" end, it should be considered in juxtaposition with the story Aghwee the Sky Monster (also by e), in which a father faced with a similar decision makes a different choice. e's son, Hikari e, despite his disability has made something of a name for himself in Japan through musical composition.

es:Una cuesti n personal ja: ru: ( ) th: