"Field of Dreams" The love of baseball that heals life's setbacks and pain

The unexpected relationship between the original author and Japan

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The life of the original author, WP Kinsella, was also unfortunate. In 1997, he was hit by a car while walking on the sidewalk and suffered head injuries. I ended up giving up on my writing career because I couldn't maintain my concentration. He was also deprived of his sense of taste and smell, and said in an interview at the time that he "could no longer write."

After that, although he wrote several short stories and nonfiction, Kinsella was unable to complete a full-length novel for 13 years. In September 2016, his representative issued a statement saying, ``The cause of death cannot be disclosed, but he passed away at the age of 81.'' According to reports, the euthanasia was based on a law that had just been passed in Canada in June of that year. At the end of his life, Kinsella said, ``Life is difficult and dying,'' and he chose ``death'' of his own free will.

"Field of Dreams" (C) 1989 Universal City Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

But there was one subject that inspired him and inspired him to write a short story. It was about a baseball player who moved from the Japanese baseball world to the American baseball world and played for the Seattle Mariners at the time. That's right, Ichiro Suzuki.

The final chapter of this book, full of tributes to Ichiro, published in Japan under the title " My Field of Dreams: Ichiro and the Story of America ", contains a short story called "Ichiro and Nomo Come to Iowa". It depicts the "Field of Field of Dreams" where "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Ichiro play a game at the "place where dreams come true".

This is WP Kinsella's dream, and it is also a dream for us Japanese people. In fact, the novel `` Shoeless Joe '' was based on a short story, and the title was ``Shoeless Joe Comes to Iowa.'' Incidentally, there is a connection between Ichiro and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, as Ichiro broke the rookie hit record that Joe Jackson had held for many years.

If you recall, when Ichiro signed with the Seattle Mariners in 2000, he said this at their home ground, Safeco Field.

“This is my Field of Dreams.”

【source】

・" Shoeless Joe " (Bungei Shunju) Written by WP Kinsella Translated by Jun Nagai

・“Pilgrims to the Field of Dreams” (Soshisha) The Day After by Fred H. Mandel Translated by Atsuko Konishi

" My Field of Dreams and the Story of America " ​​(Kodansha) by WP Kinsella, translated by Yuko Iguchi

・Asahi Shimbun Digital September 18, 2016

・Visit the stage of Sankei Sports “Field of Dreams”

・Mississippi River Country USA Japan Office

・ENCYCOLOPEDIA.COM WPKINSELLA

Text: Takeo Matsuzaki

Film critic Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media, majoring in film. After working on TV and movie sets, he turned to writing specialized in movies. Currently appearing on TV, radio, and online distribution programs such as ``Plus'' and ``Japan Group.'' He has contributed numerous articles to ``Kinema Junpo'', ``ELLE'', movie theater pamphlets, etc. Currently, he is a member of the Kinema Junpo Best Ten selection committee, a judge for the ELLE Cinema Awards, the Tanabe Benkei Film Festival, and the Creators Factory section of the Kyoto International Film Festival. Co-authored “Modern Movie Terminology Dictionary” (Kinema Junposha) and others.

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"Field of Dreams"

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(C) 1989 Universal City Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

*Information as of May 2020.

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