The voice of a master resonates in the deep forest of life.
Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe offers reflections and hope for future generations.

Kenzaburo Oe's essays, "Under My Tree" and "To a New Person," which contain his mature insights into literature and life, have returned to readers in new clothes.
These two essays, gently blended with the gentle watercolors of Oe Yukari, wife of Oe Kenzaburo, are autobiographical writings of Oe Kenzaburo, a representative Japanese intellectual of conscience, written in the latter half of his life, and convey a message of unwavering hope and heartfelt admonition to the next generation.
As a world-renowned author who has spent his entire life asking questions like “What is life?” and “How should we live?”, he tells honest stories filled with honest life experiences rather than set answers.
His writing, which answers a child's innocent and sharp questions, unfolds with a gentle yet profound depth the experiences of individuals and communities who have endured the pain of the 20th century, his life with his disabled son Hikari, the importance of learning and language, and his reflections on the dignity and peace of all life.
Following the simple yet insightful gaze of the master, one naturally finds oneself reflecting on the essence of human life.

"Under My Tree" reflects on the meaning of nature and humanity, life and learning, recalling the author's childhood memories and the lush forest that was a special place in his hometown.
He heard from his grandmother that everyone has a “tree of their own,” and he would stand under a large tree in the forest, waiting to ask his older self, “How have you lived?”
He was an old man when he wrote this, and he walks into the forest and asks himself what answer he would give if he met his younger self, connecting the past and present, and the present and future.

"To a New Person" is an essay that serves as a sequel to "Under My Tree," and is a warm greeting and strong appeal to all adults and children, present and future.
Having lived through the modern history of war, violence, discrimination, and alienation, he urges that all of humanity in the future must become “new people.”
A person who has acquired a sense of language that seeks to understand each other's differences, who does not give up contemplating the society in which he lives, as well as the past and future, and who has the courage to put aside hostility and choose reconciliation.
If 『Under My Tree』 looks back on the path it has taken, 『To a New Person』 looks forward to the world ahead.

Even in a world filled with suffering and contradiction, Oe Kenzaburo never gave up his faith in humanity and community.
These two essays, which unfold human life, literature, and the world in a gentle and calm language, are the most intimate confessions of a century-old master and a plea for hope for all living beings.
The gentle watercolors of illustrator Yukari Oe, featured in both books, gently embrace the lingering emotions of the text.
The gentle and unadorned comfort provided by the master's voice and gentle illustrations will live on in the hearts of readers for a long time.