Kyoko Agnew: Spinning Words While Thinking of Faraway Places

I make a modest living by writing.

Fortunately, my historical mystery novel published in 2024, "Sesonji-dono no Neko" (The Cat of Lord Sesonji), was honored with the 14th Japan Historical Fiction Writers Association Newcomer Award. Because of this, I would like to call myself an "up-and-coming historical novelist," but in reality, I am just a tired woman in her late 40s who is constantly overwhelmed by raising a young child after a late-life pregnancy. Unfortunately, I don't have much of a flashy edge.

For that reason, there isn't anything particularly interesting about me as a person. However, the combination of my background—living in Northern Ireland with the katakana surname "Agnew"—and my work set in the Kamakura period is often perceived as a bit unusual.

"Do you face any hardships writing novels about medieval Japanese history while living abroad?"

Perhaps because of my background, I am often asked that question. It is a question that seems simple but is actually difficult, and I always find myself at a loss for an answer. Whether I say there are hardships or there aren't, neither feels quite right.

Certainly, it sounds more difficult for someone living abroad to research Japanese history and write a novel than it would be for someone living in Japan. And in fact, when considering the ease of obtaining materials or going on research trips, being far away does pose some disadvantages. However, when I think about whether it is difficult to write about old Japan while being overseas, I arrive at the answer: "It doesn't really make a difference."

In short, it is like this: when comparing thinking about Japan from 700 years ago from Tokyo versus thinking about it from Belfast, the margin of error is slight; both are equally distant. The distance of time cancels out the spatial distance, and it even makes me completely forget that I am a Japanese-language writer living far away from Japan. In fact, because distance directly affects the writing, it might be much harder to write about contemporary Japan while living abroad.

I let my thoughts wander to a beloved world that is very far away, and I cautiously pull in the threads of words that feel as though they might snap if pulled too hard. That is how I write. That distance is infinite, and writing is always frustrating and painful. But it is also a joy that remains the same no matter where in the world you live. That is why today, once again, I am spinning words while thinking of faraway places.