‘새로운 전쟁’과 일본 전후문학의 사상공간

Abstract

In Postwar Japan, the discourse about literature should be that it changed its concept from “subject” to “nation.” This discourse was led by critics who came to be members of the magazine Kindaibungaku, which started in January 1946. However, when the Cold War worsened, the subject discourse ebbed away. Instead of the group of Kindaibungaku, the National Literature of Takeuchi Yosimi (1910~1977) and the Literature of the Oppressed People by Nakano Shigeharu (1902~1979) were influenced by these new concepts of literature. This shows that the changes in thoughts of literature must be understood in relation with the influence of the Cold War. In this sense, it is important to know that the Japanese Postwar began with a “defeat,” and the thought of the Postwar was conditioned by denying the past war. Thus, the “first art policy” was asserted by the group of Kindaibungaku, which appeared by denying the thought of the past war and suppressed the liberty of literature for the purpose of supporting the war. Meanwhile, the national discourses by Takeuchi and Nakano, which emphasized the protection of liberty of thought against the pressure of the Cold War, may be considered as a new war. In short, through the formation of the national literature, they aimed to escape from the divided world caused by the Cold War.