Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Q&A of Taiwanese media
Q: Mr. Shimada has read mystery novels in the past twenty years, what do you think is the focus of this book?What does Benge mean as far as Mr. himself is concerned?
Shimada: I think "Benge Suspense" is a novel created by artificially synthesizing "Benge" + "Suspense".To extend it further, it is the product of the combination of the so-called "thesis", that is, "an explanatory article written based on the logic of the thesis", and "poetry", that is, "mysterious phenomena and practices described based on sensibility".Poems and essays are originally two styles of writing with very different natures, and they cannot be easily integrated.This is like "water" and "oil". The mixing of these two substances requires a "surfactant", and this ability is what a reasoning writer needs to possess.
If there is no mysterious phenomenon depicted in a work, it cannot be called "suspense".One person is dead and the murderer is unknown.Such a theme can write "crime novels", "mystery novels", "detective novels".This is not to distinguish the good from the bad, but just to explain the nature.
Arranging the context of reasoning, writing it in novel-like language, and showing the unique side of each event, this is the meaning of "Benge".If there is no rendering of suspense, but only reasoning about who the criminal is and analyzing unknown events, we can call this kind of novel "mystery novel" or "detective novel" of "Benge".The essence of suspense lies in "poetic rendering". When the incident is resolved, "ethics" is subtly arranged. This kind of work with beautiful balance, I call it "original suspense".
As for the ins and outs of Japanese suspense works that invented the word "Benge", I will briefly introduce it here.In Japan, suspense works were first gradually recognized by people through European and American works translated by a person named Kuroiyan Leixiang.At this time, a man named Edogawa Ranpo appeared. He was in love with the Japanese style of the Edo period and introduced this style into this new writing genre.However, in Japan, it is a misunderstanding of this literary style to classify this type of novels with sensational novels such as "One Inch Master", "Naked Girl", "Birth Head" and "Freaks".Later, in order to distinguish it from popular novels, novels with rational theories were given the name "Benge".The person who put forward this point of view is a writer named Saburo Koga.During this period, Edogawa Ranpo's novels were called "Bendage".But this name is no longer heard, and only the word "Benge" is still used.
Q: Where is the most important part in the creation process of a mystery novel?
Shimada: This question touches the essence of writing and is very important. "Mystery novels", more strictly, should be called "benge suspense novels", which is a common view now.
The reason is that the term "benge suspense novel" expresses the structure of the situation more clearly. The word "Benge" in "Benge Suspense" has a great emphasis on the element of ethics.Let me explain a little bit about its history.
"Benge suspense" can be equivalent to "ethical suspense".But the ethical elements are not expressed in the individual form.The word ethics already has a certain explanatory meaning. If the content of the explanation reaches a certain level, it will inevitably give people a sense of boredom.Boredom still exists, justifies its existence, and has become the core of something.It is the most difficult to expound this core thing.
When it comes to literature, the element needed to improve the quality of a work is writing ability, that is, it is comfortable to read, smooth and expressive, which is where the skill of writing lies.Then there is the grasp of characters-this is also part of writing ability.
I think these two abilities are the most important.Next, what is required is the ability to have a name that people like to hear and see, which is also very necessary.
However, if you only have these abilities, you should be able to write "private novels".It is also very important to know what the purpose of writing a novel is.Taking "historical novels" as an example, it is also very important to express the characteristics of that historical era, describe the characteristics of that era, the historical events that occurred, and the influence on later generations, etc. These abilities are also very important.The requirement of the genre of self-fiction is not to present events in descriptive form.Based on this requirement, it is not necessary to write out the situation of all the characters when writing a private novel.
When writing a "sword hero novel", it is necessary to express the characteristics of the protagonist as a sword hero. In a "live drama" scene, it is very important to express the hero's superb swordsmanship. This kind of writing ability is very important.
For "love novels", it is very important to vividly express the budding state and development process of the love relationship between a man and a woman.However, the description skills of "sensual novels" about sex are more important than characterization.
In the creation of "Benge Suspense", I think the most important thing is the design ability that can support the structure of the story frame, which is more important than the description and writing ability of the characters.
In the first half of the story, it is necessary to make everyone feel incredible and arouse their curiosity. This is the so-called construction of the structure.This is also the work that writers must do before writing.If the foreshadowing of the suspenseful phenomenon in the first half is very smooth, the explanation of the reason in the second half will be very convincing.This "structure" rises to the theoretical level and is the "core".
Before starting to write, if the ability of this kind of structural design is not well cultivated and trained, the process of writing will feel very uncomfortable.In order not to make the mysterious phenomenon of the structure seem very forced, or the explanation stage is very unconvincing, it is necessary to write at a certain height.
A good framework is built to guide readers into each scene. If the design is exquisite, the next work will be simple, and it will become simpler and simpler.So I say that in the suspense writing of this case, it is the most important to combine the structure and the frame without any flaws.At the same time, creative imagination is the most difficult.
There is an extreme, which is to take the design of the structure to the extreme.The characters on the stage can generally be marked with A, B, and C. In order to reflect the writing ability, a child is added. Such works are easier to become masterpieces.This is really an extreme statement and cannot be generalized.Those who say this actually fail to see the superb structuring ability of those behind the story.It is impossible for a person with such ability to fail to write a good article.Even if some people just debuted, they can reach a height that many veterans can't reach.Writing is the product of the interweaving of various abilities.It is meaningless to compare only a part of the ability.
Q: Mr. Shimada is known as the pioneer of Japan's "New Honge School". What is the difference between "New Bengepai" and "Bengepai"?What kind of consciousness do you have when you create this genre of style?
Shimada: This has a deep relationship with the development history of Japanese suspense novels, so it will be troublesome to explain.
Compared with Europe and the United States, the history of suspense novels in Japan has certain particularities.This kind of works are widely accepted by readers after many people like Heiyanleixiang translated European and American works.After that, Edogawa Ranpo introduced the customs and customs of the Edo period into this style of writing, which became known to the public.Afterwards, Japanese suspense novels were classified into the same category as works such as "One Inch Master" and "Naked Girl" for a long time.For quite a long time after Luanbu, writers have been working hard to remove vulgar elements from their articles.Later, because there were rational and theoretical things in such works, the concept of "benge" was proposed, and such works were classified as "mystery novels", making them closer to the category of "literature".This process cannot be seen in the development history of suspense novels in Europe and America.After integration, "novels describing rational reasoning and thinking that retain more or less the style of the market" are formed, which is the "Benge School".
After that, a writer named Seicho Matsumoto appeared who overturned the results of this integration, and "literary social mystery novels" also appeared.For a while, people thought that such works were of high quality, so this kind of works became popular.All works are full of elements such as secret room murder, body dismemberment, private detectives, etc., but the Benge School has begun to decline.
However, the literariness of "Qing Zhangliu" has caused the writing to be inclined.At the same time, they don't fully understand the foreshadowing of the first half of the work, the hints of reasoning clues, and the rules of reasoning.Today, as a group of authors who attach great importance to the rules of Benge detective novels have mastered the mainstream, "New Benge School" has emerged spontaneously.It was Van Dyne in the United States who advocated these rules.However, due to the gap between his point of view and what Japanese literature values, although Japanese writers respected him, they did not introduce his theory into writing well.However, the symbolic character description of the New Benge School caused this genre to be separated from the Japanese literary system, so that Van Dyne's theory can be well applied to writing.
The rise of this genre has contributed to the movement against "Qing Zhang's spell".Their detailed description of people, especially their emotions, and their accusations of the dark side of society, these socialist writing methods have given a certain degree of disregard.On the contrary, he attaches great importance to elements such as secret rooms, murder, and decapitation, which makes the work have a strong tendency to play.This is "New Benge", which is the biggest difference from Benge School.Of course, there is still a lot to say about Xinbenge, and it is impossible for us to finish it all at once here.
As far as I am concerned, the creation of the New Benge School requires a certain degree of self-awareness, and there is no need to cater to various trends.Not only must we have a good grasp of the history I mentioned earlier, but we must also actively absorb the good parts of "Qing Zhang Liu".In order not to let this creative peak end prematurely, I have to develop my own new talents.
Q: Some people say that people like Ayatsuji Koto, Utano Akigo, Hozuki Rintaro, and my grandson Takemaru have created the peak of "New Honge Suspense".How do you view this issue?
Shimada: I think they really sparked a revival of Honka's work.
The history of suspense novels in Japan is different from that in Europe and the United States.As I mentioned before, since Ranpo Edogawa, such works have been trying to separate themselves from popular fiction.And what pointed out a clear way for it is Matsumoto Seicho's "literary social reasoning novel".The rise of this category has resulted in the situation that there are all such works on the market, which has led to the rapid decline of Benge School.
The rise of the new Benge School has had an impact on the "Qing Zhangliu". This style is closer to games and is more in line with the current era.
Among these four people, Ayatsuji, Hozuki, and my grandson all live very close to Kyoto, and their origins of thinking also have something in common, but gradually they will become different.Utano lives in Tokyo and has no contact with them, so naturally he will not be affected.The style of the first three and Utano-kun is fundamentally different.Utano-kun has no tendency towards games, and at the same time, he has no awareness of the necessity of symbolic expression (in fact, neither does Ayatsuji-kun).So if you want to classify him as a new character, he will probably be confused too.
I don't know if they had the idea of creating a new peak and breaking through the regulations of Qingzhang at the beginning of their debut.At least the first three people will have some such thoughts.
Q: Today, new mystery novels in Japan are developing in a diversified direction. What is your opinion on this situation?What is the future development direction of Xinbenge?
Shimada: As I said before, the equating of suspense novels with "murder novels" is deeply rooted in general perception.
There are still many situations that can be understood from the surface. For example, the works of this book are "novels with mansions", "novels with isolated islands", "closed rooms", and "decapitated plots". , is "a famous detective will appear", "all the characters on the stage have clue prompts", and "a novel in which all the reasoning materials are displayed in front of the reader, but the result is unexpected". There are many such understandings, and they are deeply rooted.Some people think that these elements are very important. If any one is missing, the integrity and purity of the whole work will be reduced. The new book is also established on the basis of many past experiences.Indeed, looking at the work from this perspective, it is easy to understand and easy to get the approval of most people.
It is precisely because many young authors adopt popular templates to structure their works that this pragmatic methodology is now rampant.This is also the result of Japanese-style education.Compared with innovation, it is more orthodox to follow the fashion trend and describe the story in a stereotyped way. It is easier for publishers to publish and sell at the same time.It is not good for us to criticize this kind of value too much.
In the current literary world, this kind of rules and regulations has also begun to decline, and people have begun to explore other popular models, so the "magic" genre has begun to appear on the stage.Although this change is not drastic, I speculate that in the near future there will be Benge works mixed with elements such as isolated islands, secret rooms, severed heads, and famous detectives.This is the trend of the development of the new Benge genre, and it cannot be reversed if one or two people oppose it.It is also necessary to try various forms of creation.
There is also the emergence of the original style that is biased towards romance novels, the emergence of the original style that is biased towards developmental biology, the return of the detective novel form in the 1950s, and the emergence of hardcore novels, all of which have their existence significance.In fact, the citation of the rules avoids the one-sided trend of fantasy novels, and its existence is also meaningful.
Q: Readers in Taiwan gave a very high evaluation of Mr. Wang's works on the Internet.Among them, the setting of traps is amazing.To have such a good idea, what kind of state does Mr. get inspiration in daily life?
Shimada: I'm really encouraged to hear you say that, thank you very much.
The idea of the book was slowly formed during the writing process, initially based on an association generated by a fraudulent incident.This is a real event that happened in Japan in the 1970s, but it was just a very abstract description in the news.When ordinary people see such a fraud case in the news, they basically don't have any thoughts.On the contrary, I have a strong interest in it.Stimulated by a mentality of struggle, I wanted to know what was going on in the prisoner's mind.This feeling is very deep, lingering in my mind.It was from this motivation that the trap setting of this murder was completed.
Just like that, there are countless ways to get inspired through various channels.There are also differences depending on the work, and there are no simple rules to follow.For example, when watching dramas, when watching movies, when watching introductions about the latest science and technology, when watching NHK interview programs, when watching science and education programs, when reading novels written by others, and when watching news Creativity can come from time to time, while attending public trials...all of which are possible.Of course, you can also consciously conceive your next work specifically.But the actual situation is often not as simple as we think. The inspiration of many works comes from a flash of inspiration, so it comes and goes quickly.All in all, there will be such and such situations.
It should be noted that, as I said before, many good ideas are visited at the moment when they are most likely to be forgotten.For example, when my mind is thinking about other things, when I am doing editing work or writing a novel, inspiration will always appear in this inappropriate situation.The Goddess of Creation likes to tease people so much, so don't mind, be sure to be ready to write it down at any time.For example, write down a suggestive word like "Astrology—" so you won't forget it.Usually at this time, you can't recognize the value of the idea. When you look back at the memo afterwards, you will often be intimidated by your own creativity. This is also my experience.
Q: It is your debut work, can you tell us about this work?
Shimada: Actually, as I mentioned before, it was written based on the association of a bill fraud case.In addition, I was very obsessed with astrology at that time, and I also learned some.The appearance of the person with the rising house shows how compatible he is with others; the position of the stars at the time of a person's birth shows his tendency throughout his life.I still know a lot about these astrology knowledge.
I don't read magazines like "This Week In Our Stars," they're not allowed.But astrology is not the case. Once upon a time, when the moon was the brightest point in the night sky, this classical science came into being.The fact that moonlight not only guides the reproduction of oysters and sea urchins, but also controls the menstrual cycle of women, has good reason to be classified as science.I put myself in my shoes and thought that in that era without electric lights, astrology might really have the effect of showing love luck to a certain extent.People's courtship behavior may not really depend on emotion and physiology.The previous idea and my interest in astrology led to this novel.
Q: In the process of novel creation, will you use those unnecessary ideas and chapters in other works?
Shimada: Most people do that.But as far as I am concerned, I don’t have the impression that unnecessary creativity in writing is used in other works, and I may have forgotten it.This is also related to the structural design ability I mentioned before. If the entire work is designed in advance, this situation will basically not happen.
Q: In Mr.'s works, myths and legends from the East and the West are integrated.In my impression, such a situation is rare among suspense works.How did this method of expression come to be conceived?
Shimada: I didn’t do anything specially. Having said that, suspenseful stories and the construction method of “enigma-deciphering” in this case actually existed in the era of the Old Testament of the Bible.Many writers in Japan are now only focusing on the inheritance of mysterious stories.If you set your sights on world-wide folktales, there are boundless creative possibilities.
Arrange the things you read into your own suspense works. If readers have also read these things, the overall atmosphere of your work will be greatly improved.Quoting is also a process of recreating these contents.
Today, with the rise of fantasy works, this ability to quote is even more necessary.I think this kind of situation will gradually increase in the works of writers of this style in the future.
Q: Have you ever tried to write different kinds of mystery novels?
Shimada: I will try many different kinds, and I have been consciously doing this since the beginning.It is a requirement of many publishing houses to publish works with the same tendency and structure in one period.From the publisher's point of view, readers' reading preferences must be complied with.Readers' purchasing tendencies vary according to different eras. This is what is popular.But as far as I am concerned, I still want to challenge works of different styles.The place I have never set foot in is the direction I am going forward; the work I have never tried is my ambition for writing.
However, if you are too selfish, readers will not want to buy, the work will not be able to be extended, and the publisher will not welcome it.My novels, works other than suspense, are not easy to sell; in suspense, works other than Mitarai and Yoshiki are not easy to sell; works other than novels are not easy to sell.Therefore, the form of works required by publishers and accepted by readers is actually very narrow.
Therefore, I was often asked to write long works such as Yoshiki and Mitarai.But I think that if you compromise too much and focus all your energy on sales, this mentality must also be criticized.So there is no need to completely follow the preferences of readers and publishers.
Q: Are you interested in writing a suspense novel without murder?
Shimada: Of course.And there are already many such works.I never think that killing is necessary for suspense works, but it can indeed give readers the strongest stimulation. The idea that "there is no suspense novel without killing people" is a misunderstanding rooted in people's hearts.Therefore, suspense novels without murders are not easy to sell, and publishers will not welcome them. This is also an experience.
Q: Among your works, are there any novels you particularly like?
Shimada: It’s really hard to say.And even if I give an example now, I might regret it tomorrow, right?In fact, I am very satisfied with many of the original works, and there are elements that I like in one way or another.Speaking of dissatisfaction, I can say it.For example, I want to try to write humorous suspense. The feeling that I can still find a joke after repeated reading should be pretty good.
Anyway, I have published too many works in the past.There are many that are almost forgotten when they are written.But thanks to this, I can continue to write until now.If you can't extricate yourself from being immersed in the work, thinking that it is a good work, and getting lost in self-satisfaction, you will not be able to continue writing.This is not my case alone, it applies everywhere.At the same time, this is also the quality required for continuous high-quality writing.
Forget what I originally wrote, and don't re-read it; let everything go by, and don't look back until someone talks about it.Because I have always maintained this mentality, I can't answer you when you ask me this kind of question.My favorite work must be the work I am currently writing.This is not something I intentionally control, but a real psychological feeling.
Q: In what direction will Japanese reasoning and suspense novels develop?
Shimada: I remember that I seem to have mentioned this question, but I can add a little more.In the era of the rise of the new Benge genre, there have been situations such as narrowing of writing methods, streamlining of writing, and negation of other writing styles.This will lead to the danger of the demise of the genre of suspense novels.So I ask the authors, please imagine in multiple directions, explore various creative methods, and discover your own writing methods.
In my personal opinion, Benge is a novel supported by theoretical thinking under the big framework of "making a mystery-deciphering".The emergence of the first half of the puzzles must have a structural reason. Only in this way will the reasoning in the deciphering stage of the situation appear rational, and the logical context of the reasons for the emergence of the puzzles will not appear blunt.As long as the works of this book absorb the most advanced scientific information, there will be unlimited possibilities for development.Don't stick to the superposition of elements such as isolated islands, foreign mansions, secret rooms, severed heads, famous detectives, and accidental testimony of prisoners.Writing is a very personal behavior for a writer. Please return to the origin of writing, write your own style, not be influenced by the fashion of the times, and cultivate an innovative spirit.
Although there is no basis, the use of brain power should not be a primitive human desire.Xinbenge has become the darling of the times, largely because it is similar to PC games.The fundamental interest of human beings lies in the level of love and sex, so in the future, Benge novels may develop in this direction.In fact, even the future development of games is moving in the direction of various types such as online games, role-playing, and battles.
Q: After that, what kind of works are you going to write?If it is convenient, can you tell me?
Shimada: If you want to say that the focus of your future writing direction should be the suspenseful personality that I call the "21st century type book".I also mentioned the gameplay of the work before, if young Japanese writers would definitely do it to extremes.After Edgar Allan Poe, European and American works also have this tendency.But for people of the English language family, the dialogue and descriptions give people a unique aesthetic feeling, which can naturally show the perspective of life and society, and maintain the whole work at a balanced level without losing the literary quality. state.
However, this is the same as baseball has rules. In order to normalize games such as homicide and reasoning, scientific search methods and collection of reasoning materials, these elements were fixed as rules as early as the 19th century.The examination of fingerprints, blood types, footprints, the shape of boots, hair and other tiny items, the handwriting and voice recordings of the parties involved were all the latest science in the 19th century.Of course, as far as current science and forensic science are concerned, it is not limited to this.In this era of computer digitization, DNA inheritance, visceral cloning, human organ transplantation, and many organ technologies make physical authentication methods not limited to fingerprint authentication, but turn to recognition of retina, hand lines, vein network, voiceprint, etc. direction.At the same time, the criminal party will also take advantage of these latest scientific achievements. In the 21st century, the place where supernatural events occur is not only old houses, but also the latest brain hospital.To create mysterious phenomena, it is not necessary to prepare large props, and some special structures inside the human brain can also be used to achieve good results.
The suspense writers in the past deliberately avoided the proposition of "gameplay" in their works, found excuses for their laziness, and handed over the heavy responsibility of using the latest scientific achievements to write in the hands of SF writers.Of course, everyone is different, and he also has reasons for choosing this method, but blindly denying other people's attempts will lead to the decline of this writing genre.I want to set an example and work hard towards the direction of "game-like" works in the future.My recent works of this type include "Hollywood Proof" and short stories "Eden's Proposition" and "Man and Weapon".
Works that contain fantasy elements.I plan to write more works like this in the future.
Q: Mitarai in your work is described as a very individual detective.Can you tell us a little bit about this character?
Shimada: In fact, there is nothing special about it. In the period of rapid economic growth in Japanese society, life is getting harder and harder, and Confucianism has a strong sense of superiors and subordinates. unnecessary indifference.The perceptual perception of humor that a person should have is completely lost.In such a society, what kind of person can bring a little warmth to the already numb majority and add—even a little bit of fun—to their lives?Out of this consideration, this character came into being.
However, this character is not completely out of thin air.I think I was influenced by a lot of friends and family around me when I created the character.But he is not Japanese in reality, and he has a bit of the shadow of the characters in American movies that I love.Thus was born such a composite product.However, his soul should be a Sherlock Holmes character in traditional British works.Regarding his series, if you read it all the way from its early days, it will have a better appeal.
Q: We all know that Mr. Shimada loves Sherlock Holmes. How is his influence on you reflected in your works?
Shimada: The setting of the character Mitarai was strongly influenced by Sherlock Holmes.Specifically, the sense of humor, some small eccentricities, belief in chivalry and sense of justice, attitude towards women, masculinity, trust in science, never slack in learning the most cutting-edge technology, etc. of.But these elements were not deliberately placed on him by me, but a natural expression from the inside out.This may be regarded as a subtle influence.
In the early days, some people criticized me for deliberately imitating Sherlock Holmes, especially in the short stories.What I want to say is that in short story writing, there must also be a certain element of performance.My method of writing is somewhat like Conan Doyle, but isn't Sherlock Holmes like Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin?Such problems will exist in all detective short stories.When I was writing short stories, because I couldn't resist what was inside me, I thought it would be better to write like Sherlock Holmes.Based on my own love and understanding of Sherlock Holmes, I also have the confidence to write something different from it.
If you want to talk about the reason, it should be the consideration that supports the core part of the work, which is completely different.This is more obvious when writing a long story.Because the motivation when writing the work is completely different.My latest work has expanded the stage to all over the world. The role of "Watson" before leaving, with the latest technology as the theme.These are qualitatively different from Holmes's setting, which is obvious at a glance.Readers in Taiwan are also invited to savor it carefully.
Q: From the beginning, Mitarai started a new series.Since the 1990s, you've been moving to a new style.What kind of process did you go through in the selection of themes, the concept of creation, and the process of structure in this period to complete such a long novel?
Shimada: Not only when writing, but also when writing "Akiyo Hideaki Incident" and "Wolongting Incident", the proposition was "whether it is possible to maintain the original framework while experiencing a rich story that has never been experienced before", and carried out Experiment to a certain extent.
Judging from the many works of Xinbenge, unlike Benge works, gameplay has become an element and an indispensable existence.As a result, the development of the inner world of the work becomes more unrestrained, and the content carried increases, making it difficult to maintain the framework, which will make people feel out of the original work.I think there must be certain rules when writing, just like baseball, everyone wears the same clothes, uses the same props, and runs back and forth in the field.As long as a certain degree can be maintained, the safety of writing can be guaranteed.This is called gameplay.
When I was writing "The Crouching Dragon Pavilion Incident", I wondered whether it would be feasible to break the traditional framework and not introduce the characters in the first part of the work, so I conducted an experiment.Soon after I started writing, I wanted to try something in a long form.As a result, I came to the conclusion that even if I didn't introduce the characters in the first part of the novel, the characteristics of the original work would not be lost.
Q: Do you have any reasons for agreeing to make it into a film?Regarding the actor who starred in Mitarai, what kind of appearance should he have?
Shimada: That's a long story.In the past, I thought it would be difficult for the Japanese under the high economic growth system described in the Mitarai series to be represented on the big screen, so I declined.I think characters other than Mitarai may still be visualized.
Now, there are reasons for agreeing to visualize Mitarai.In the new century, Japanese people's human feelings are also developing in the direction of softening.In my opinion, with the advancement of internationalization, the glorification of authority, the inherent concepts of superiors and subordinates, the tendency to glorify violence, the blurring of the boundary between abuse of humanity and morality, and the confusion of jokes and ridicules, such unique Japanese misunderstandings, combined with the perception of Confucianism The tendency to misinterpret is slowly being alleviated.
The Japanese have also gradually learned the importance of jokes in daily life.Jokes have a bottom line, which is fundamentally different from ridicule, and the public has begun to become conscious of this aspect.I feel that today's Japanese society is becoming more and more like the world of Mitarai.I feel that due to the changes in the general environment and conditions of the times, Mitarashi series is changing in the direction of generalization.
In the past, Japanese script writers had a peculiarly Japanese misunderstanding of Mitarai.They thought that I deliberately made the fate of someone with an authoritative personality like a corporate dignitary miserable.The Japanese film shooting scene itself exudes the stench of feudalism.Of course, the works shot in such an environment are not tasteful.It's not easy to get rid of this kind of atmosphere all at once.Fortunately, the overall situation is gradually improving.
Another reason is that I met a filmmaker who happened to be my aura, and I could write the script myself.
What's more, Mitarai has a large number of works, and has established a stable world view on the level of words.Even if there are huge discrepancies between the film and the film, and a big failure is produced, it will not suffer a devastating blow at the novel level. I also have a very clear judgment on this point.
From my point of view, there doesn't seem to be a Japanese actor who matches Mitarai's sensibilities in the novel, but that's okay.The world of the original and the video are completely different things.There are actors who can create another Mitarai world.This is also one of the joys of making Mitarai into a film, I think so.As the number of works increases, I think there are readers who feel the same as me.
Q：日本有很多推理小说电视剧化、电影化。比如东野圭吾的、横山秀夫的。对于自己作品将要影像化，您认为有什么地方是比较困难的？
岛田：我之前也说过，现在的日本人还是有美化权威、上下级固有观念、美化暴力倾向、虐待人性与道德界限模糊、玩笑与嘲笑混同、儒家思想曲解倾向。在电影界，也仍然存在着这样的东西。所以，想要理解御手洗洁这样的人物的思想，恐怕比登天还难。过去的日本，像御手洗洁这样的人，如果不给别人施压、没事就对周围人进行殴打的话，是得不到周围人认同的。
而且，对这种属于成年人的游戏性的把握，是日本人所最不擅长的，这一点是毋庸置疑的。将数学化的推理思考进行电视剧化的编排，那种感觉对于日本人来说也是难以捕捉的。这就好像是开玩笑时的感觉，或者和外国人交流时的感觉，日本人真的是搞不定的。
所以在舞台作品上的日本，男人的美学是具有暴力倾向且拥有施压的体质，而女性则是对自我意识压抑的贤淑的人偶。所以那种纯粹的、可以打动人内心使人流泪的东西，在从前的日本电影之中几乎是没有的。但是将这些舍弃的话，究竟要寻找一个什么样的出路呢？就算是不停地尝试失败，我也想用我的眼睛来见证这一切。当下，为了摆脱之前的状况，人们进行了各种各样的尝试。以男性的卑躬屈膝来突出喜剧性，让女性开始施压，这种颠倒的形式现在流行起来。但是这种机械性的反转，我也并不是很认同。
而御手洗洁这个系列，是对于这个根本问题所提出的修改方案。想要拍好这个系列，就要对根植于日本人内心深处的电视剧意识进行修正。这样看来，这个片子从头至尾都会很困难的。
Q：吉敷竹史系列经常使用分数的表示形式，这种设置有什么特别的意义吗？
岛田：那是初期的作品群，今时今日的我，可以做一些自己想做的事情，作品的标题也是我自己取的。作家在还是新人的时候，出版社会对你提出这样那样的建议。使用分数作为标题的那段时期，作品的总编可以很好地把握如何可以让一本书卖得更好，现在是没有那些法则性的东西了，但就当时而言，这些判断还是比较准确的。
当时的读者对成系列、拥有通性的标题、不是很长、有一些独特性质的作品，具有一定的偏好。
也就是说，为了卖得好，小说要具有一些类似于“杂志”的特性，每隔几个月就要出一本，这样可以养成读者“定期购入”的购买习惯。那个时期，我作为新人，经验匮乏，也没有得奖的作品，对于销售层面上的要求，是没有反驳的理由的。
包含分数的标题，除了和以外，全部是应总编的要求起的。我当时对这样的战略也多少存有疑问，虽然照做了，但是心里总有一种特别的、对读者不够诚实的感觉。不过分数作为数学用语，其相性与本格作品特有的数学性十分贴切，而且整体给人的感觉也不错。事实上，因为这种分数的标题，吉敷竹史系列在当时卖得也不错。但是现在回想起来，还是有一些很勉强的感觉。
Q：以江户时代为舞台的悬疑《半七捕物帖》已经在台湾出版了，这是一部十分优秀的作品。先生在描写“吉敷竹史刑事”时，对要做出一个与古今悬疑作品中的刑事完全不同的角色、所承载的使命、解决问题的方法，这类问题有没有一个考量呢？
岛田：实话实说，在创作他的时候，我根本没有想过这些问题。你这么一问，我倒是在写御手洗洁的时候想过这些问题。但是，他对当时的日本人具有非常强的挑战性，这就造成了很难做到与读者进行精神层面的对话。而在创作吉敷竹史的时候，他只是作为当时日本社会个体一般性的存在，他的使命，应该就是执行一个刑警应做的搜查吧。正因为如此，他的行事方式没有任何与常识相抵触的。他不是一个私家侦探，而是具备刑事搜查资格的职业刑警。可就是这样一个人，还要同日本社会固有的前例如重视惰性、傲慢的排他性进行战斗。时至今日，他仍然在同拥有固有劣根性的日本组织在一些问题点上做着不懈的斗争。
Q：执笔的时候，您是否有化身御手洗洁或者吉敷竹史解决事件的感觉？
岛田：我在现实之中，从事过很多关于刑事事件的冤罪救济活动。正是因为如此，对于现实事件的复杂性与所花费的大量时间，是心知肚明的。不管你具备多强的推理能力与行动力，仍然不能指望会有一个理想的结果。现实之中，司法可以凭借极其有限的材料便做出危险的有罪判决，同时一般的社会常识对这类判决深信不疑。我们就是要同这种野蛮的道德观进行最为直接的斗争。所以作品之中的御手洗洁和吉敷竹史对于我自身而言，虽然有一些共通的层面，但还是具有本质不同的。冤罪救济的困难，从事这项工作所带来的反感，都会时刻萦绕在你的周围。
执笔时所考虑的问题是每部作品之间不同的倾向性。现实可以作为一种依托，就像是一颗梦的种子，在其上构造出整个事件，这个时候可以将自己的一些理想很好地表达出来。但要是说把自己想像成吉敷刑事这样的事，还是从来没有过的。因为不管是他还是御手洗洁，都与我具有本质上的不同。
Q：先生的作品之中提到过好莱坞，而现实之中您也在洛城住过。您认为洛杉矶是一个什么样的地方呢？
岛田：我在《好莱坞凭证》中写过好莱坞的演艺界。那种走上世界顶峰、恣意的拜金与欲望，具有很强的故事性。真的十分有趣。但是当你真正融入那个世界的话就会发现，那里平日的生活，甚至比东京还要平稳，没有刺激感，甚至有点无聊。拿小学生的生活为例，日本的小学生，和朋友们一起坐电车上下学，放学的时候，可以在繁华的街道上自由漫步，可以吃吃东西、照照大头贴什么的。但是在洛杉矶的孩子，特别是富裕的阶层，这些都是不被允许的。这里既没有电车，也存在着被诱拐的危险，所以父母会每日接送上下学。所以孩子们接触不到除了家与学校以外的世界。小孩们只能在家周围玩。如果没有看到家长在看管的话，警察会通知他们，让他们注意。在美国，儿童是被视作国家财富来看待的。
成人们的生活也没有好到哪去。他们对于和朋友开Party这种事并不积极，而是靠看电视来度日。洛杉矶有很多的独居者，究其原因是和异性见面的机会是少之又少。在洛杉矶，想寻求一些刺激的话，除了写写小说，还真就没什么了。简直就像是住在日本深山之中的小木屋里，既没有诱惑又没有刺激。但是在这样的环境下，真的没有什么工作的热情。这也是我回来的原因之一。我回到东京以后，每天都生活在刺激之中，创作也从来都没有停止过。
Q：先生笔下个性十足的侦探“御手洗洁”，是一个冷酷不讲情理，同时又不失幽默感的人。这样的设定与硬派小说大家——雷蒙德·钱德勒笔下的菲利普·马洛有异曲同工之妙。钱德勒笔下舞台的设定就是洛城，先生现在就住在那里。有没有想过，今后写一些硬派推理小说呢？
岛田：我很推崇马洛，他在我心中的地位仅次于福尔摩斯。与日本的硬派小说作家相比，我敢说我更能理解马洛的真谛。最近我也在想，御手洗洁这个人物是不是就受到了马洛的影响。最近的作品，舞台转换到了西方世界，当写到英语会话场景的时候，对白的设置“马洛感”十足，有好几次就连我自己都有点惊讶了。这让我意识到我究竟有多么中意马洛这角色的同时，还意识到了，那种独立的行事方法与幽默的精神，只有在英语语境下才能被更好地表达出来。那种福尔摩斯所具有的对待女性的态度与毫不造作的骑士精神，正是生活在英语圈的人所特有的，也是我最中意的一种气质。
关于硬派推理，聊聊还行，如果真的要写的话，冲动就没有那么强烈了。我过去在日本西海湾住的时候，那种写作的感觉还是挺强烈的，而且我还尝试写过《身着绸缎的美人鱼》。现在说起来，这部作品设置既不精巧，内容也不惊险。要是遇到钱德勒的话，他一定会“哈哈哈”地笑话我吧——当然我知道他是不会那么做的。我喜欢他，不代表着我的写作生涯就要因他而改变。我现在也很喜欢哥伦布，因为他的世界现在就在我身边，只不过变得普通了而已。
我在想如果写一部以女性为主人公的作品，是不是可以有别于前人作品，于是便写了《好莱坞凭证》这样的硬派作品。如果还让我写这类作品的话，现阶段恐怕还是有一些障碍的，以后可能还会尝试。还有人问关于硬派小说的问题，认为其必要的元素是“以美国西海岸为舞台的侦探故事”，主角随身带着手枪，不坐电车而开着汽车，要涉及大量的金钱，同时要有好莱坞，还要有美女，这些夹杂在一起才能成为一部硬派作品。
而我则收集材料考虑另辟蹊径。我对曼哈顿的大楼十分感兴趣，于是写出了《摩天楼怪人》。对我来说，我作品的必要元素是不断地尝试未曾创作过的领域，就如我乐意去我未曾去过的地方，这就是我坚持的怪癖。
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