“Every green surface area – a bit of monster skin”. Emotion and Ecology in Tawada Yōko’s Fukushima Poetry
The seminar examines Tawada Yōko’s poetic engagement with the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, through the lens of her multilingual poem Hamlet no See and the collection Out of Sight / Aimaina Sōshitsu. My focus lies on how these works articulate an affective response to environmental change, foregrounding the entanglement of emotion, language, and ecology in the wake of catastrophe. In particular, I will analyze how Tawada uses multilingualism, intertextual references—especially to Shakespeare’s Hamlet—and poetic experimentation to render visible the often-invisible consequences of radioactive contamination.
In this seminar we will explore how nature, in Tawada’s texts, becomes both victim and threat—transformed into an unpredictable ecological force, metaphorically described as “monster skin.” I will also discuss the political dimensions of her poetry, particularly its critique of institutional narratives that downplay environmental risk. Ultimately, this analysis aims to show how Tawada’s post-Fukushima poetry functions as a space where emotion, ecological awareness, and linguistic innovation converge to bear witness to a disaster whose effects remain globally resonant.
The article draft will be distributed to attendees, by contacting Stefka G. Eriksen or Kaja Emilie Roa Ladstein.