“11 Letters”
Writer Profile
Junko Oikawa
Other : Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Chuo UniversityKeio University alumni
Junko Oikawa
Other : Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Chuo UniversityKeio University alumni
2019/08/30
My meeting and parting with the Chinese author Liu Xiaobo became the catalyst for publishing my book, “11 Letters.”
There is much to say about Liu Xiaobo and the Tiananmen Square protests, such as his sudden return from the United States in 1989 to participate in the pro-democracy movement, and his role as a negotiator between the martial law troops and students to advocate for a peaceful movement and avoid armed conflict in the square. After the incident, many involved fled into exile abroad, but he remained in Beijing and continued his writing. Even when his speech was suppressed within China, he found hope in the internet and spoke of his belief that gradual changes in Chinese society would eventually transform the Communist Party regime.
A little over ten years ago, I met Liu Xiaobo in Beijing and had the opportunity to visit his home and hear various stories. Later, contact was suddenly cut off, and I received news from a mutual friend that he had been arrested. He was sentenced to a heavy term of 11 years in prison for his involvement in the publication of “Charter 08,” a document demanding democratization. In 2010, Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison, but he passed away in 2017 while still incarcerated, effectively dying in prison.
“Read what you want to read, write what you want to write. Go to see the people you want to meet, and speak from the heart.” I think about the value of such ordinary “freedom” because of what I received from my limited interactions with Liu Xiaobo. After his death, his remains were scattered at sea under the instructions of the authorities, so even a headstone is not permitted. If that is the case, I wanted to at least compile a small book as a “paper monument.”
This book is prose written in the style of a “collection of creative letters.” It is written as a series of letters from Liu Xiaobo addressed to 11 people. It describes the value of various freedoms—freedom of speech, freedom of the press, academic freedom, and freedom of thought and conscience—in simple language.
“That day,” mentioned at the beginning of the letters, refers to the Tiananmen Square protests 30 years ago, and is also “the day freedom was taken away.” While the book uses Liu Xiaobo and the Tiananmen Square protests as motifs, “that day” is not just about China's past. To prevent “that day” from becoming our future, I want to convey the importance of thinking about true “freedom” through these letters from Liu Xiaobo.
*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.