Lecture by novelist Keiichiro Hirano and welcome reception

On February 15, a lecture was held by novelist Keiichiro Hirano at the University of Brussels (ULB). Mr. Hirano published his first novel "Eclipse" in 1998, for which he received the year after the Akutagawa prize at the age of 23, becoming its youngest winner. Numerous books followed until the publication in 2016 of "Matinee no owari ni" (At the end of the morning), a best seller sold over 200,000 copies, and his latest work: "Aru otoko" (A Man), awarded the Yomiuri Prize for Literature. Mr. Hirano is highly praised in Japan and part of his work has been translated into French and English.
During his lecture, under the theme of “Love in Japanese literature”, Mr. Hirano talked about the concept of "love" in Japan, how the definition of the two Japanese words for love "koi" and "ai" differs, and about the word "bunjin", so-called “dividuality”, in relation with the concept of individuality. The audience, gathering ULB students, Ambassador Hayashi and amateurs of literature, listened closely.
Following the lecture, a reception was held at the ambassador's residence attended by, besides Mr. Hirano himself, the rector of the ULB, Japanology researchers in Belgium, Japanese language educators, journalists and others. Ambassador Hayashi welcomed the visit of Mr. Hirano to Belgium stating that he was absolutely delighted to introduce him to the audience as a truly outstanding Japanese contemporary novelist who captures the reader's mind with an amazing creative talent, in addition to the richness of his topics and ideas. The participants did exchange in a friendly manner with Mr. Hirano, exchanging opinions over a wide range of subjects, including Japanese literature, making it a meaningful moment for the promotion of Japanese culture.