Hiromi Kawakami discusses “The Kitchen God,” her short story from our annual Fiction Issue, out this week.
,” a housewife named Izumi sees small, three-faced creatures that she calls “kitchen gods” dwelling in her apartment. What was your inspiration in creating the figure of the kitchen god?
The story mostly takes place in a “company apartment” building, where Izumi has responsibilities such as looking after the staircases and circulating information, and where the female residents all call one another. Will you describe this living arrangement for readers who might not be familiar with it? How did you decide to set the story in one of these buildings?
What the stories of “Dragon Palace” have in common is a focus on the enigmatic nature of humans and human relationships. All the relationships in the stories are warped and twisted, outlandish even, yet they were intensely real to me as I wrote them. Talking foxes, moles, and octopuses may not be a part of modern Japanese urban life, but I found it easier and more natural to write about those mysterious spirits than about regular people.
You describe the various potted plants—philodendrons, cyclamens, spider plants—that commonly decorate what you call an “aunt’s living room,” and that Izumi also has throughout her apartment. Why do you think that Izumi and these “aunts” are so attracted to these potted plants? Do you collect these plants yourself?
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