Jean-Michel Serres, Composer-pianist (Apfel Café Music): Website

On 1st April, 2020, Haruki Murakami made a speech to 1400 freshmen at an entrance ceremony of the department literature and culture of his old school Waseda University, while using his unique expressions and metaphors. What he said is below.

“Hello. Congratulations on your admission. Still the world, but does not settle down easily, this year is thus to gather here with everyone, to celebrate the new beginnings together I think that’s great.

I entered the literature department of this university more than 50 years ago (1968), but at that time, I didn’t have any particular desire to become a novelist.

But when I got married, graduated from college, and was busy with work every day, I suddenly felt like “I want to write a novel”, and when I suddenly realized I became a novelist like this. Somehow, it’s called Nariyuki, or something that led me to it. I don’t really understand it myself.

By the way, I got married while I was in school, so I got married first, started work, and finally graduated. The order was reversed from that of ordinary people. I don’t really recommend that way of life, but it’s something that can be done.

So, I think, a novelist can’t be very smart. That’s because smart people think about things right away. The written novels that I think of in my head are usually not very interesting. You can’t write a good novel unless you think about it with your heart, not your head.

However, writing sentences that other people will read uses a lot of head, so I will work my head as needed. But it’s just the right time to be a talented person and not an honor student. It’s hard to find the right time.

Because some of students of the Faculty of Literature and the Faculty of Culture, Media and Society, you may want to become a novelist, but please find a good balance between them. I think Waseda University is a fairly suitable environment for such work.

This fall, the International Literature Museum (Haruki Murakami Library) will open on this Waseda campus. This is a space where students can freely use books, materials, and music collections.

The motto of the library, or the word at the entrance, is “Let’s open up a story, let’s tell our hearts”. This may need some explanation.

First of all, it seems easy to talk about your heart, and this is quite difficult. Because we usually think this is our mind, because it is only a small part of our whole mind. In other words, our consciousness is nothing more than a bucket of water pumped from the pond of our hearts. The remaining area is untouched and is left as an unknown area.

But what really moves us is the remaining heart. It’s not consciousness or logic, it’s a broader, bigger heart. So how do we find the unknown realm of that mind? How can I find the source of the power that really moves me? One of the things that plays that role is the story.

The story sheds light on areas of the mind where our consciousness cannot be read well. It transforms our unspeakable mind into a form of fiction that emerges figuratively. That’s what we novelists are trying to do. For example, this is the basic function of the novel. There is something called “for example” that can only be expressed in a one-step replacement form. Speaking of roundabouts, it’s roundabouts, isn’t it?

Therefore, novel is of little use to society directly. No matter what, it’s not like a quick-acting drug or vaccine. However, without the work of novel, society cannot move forward in a healthy manner.

This is because, society also has a heart. Things that cannot be scooped up by consciousness and logic only. Things that are left behind. It is the role of literature in the novel to scoop up such things firmly and slowly. The novel fills the gap between the mind and consciousness.

Therefore, novels have been picked up by people in various forms and in various places for over 1000 years. The profession of a novelist has been handed down like a torch. I would be very happy if some of you would inherit the torch, or if there was someone who would warmly and cherish it.

Once again, congratulations on your entrance. Have a nice and fulfilling year on this campus.”