An Interview with Justin Kerr-Smiley
As a journalist, Justin Kerr-Smiley has reported from the Balkans, Northern Ireland and South America. His first novel, Under The Sun (Reportage Press) tells the story of the unusual friendship that springs up between two men on opposing sides during the closing months of the Second World War.
Kerr-Smiley lists William Golding and Ernest Hemingway among his favourite authors, and fans of Lord of the Flies and A Farewell to Arms will find much to admire in Under The Sun. William Dalrymple has praised it as ‘The gripping and beautifully paced debut of an intriguing new talent.’ It’s also a thoughtful and moving investigation into the minds of men at war, rich in historical detail and psychological nuance. I interviewed Justin Kerr-Smiley to find out more about the inspiration behind his novel.
Under the Sun tells the story of Flight Lieutenant Edward Strickland, an RAF pilot who, near the end of the Second World War, is shot down over a small isolated island in the Pacific and taken prisoner by the Japanese. It is also the story of Captain Tadashi Hayama, the officer whose prisoner Strickland becomes, and of the relationship that develops between the two men. What made this a story you wanted to tell?
I was interested in the dynamics between two combatants who meet face to face. How would they react to each other if the war they were fighting had no physical relevance to their lives? Would they try and kill one another, or would they become friends? The inspiration for the story comes from the Christmas 1914 fraternisation between British and German troops.
Also, my grandfather had fought in Burma in World War 2 and one of his 'spoils of war' was a samurai sword. I often wondered about the history of the sword and its owner, whom my grandfather had killed. In other circumstances might they not have become friends?
The story is scrupulously even-handed in its depictions of the prejudices both men bring to the relationship. How important was it for you to maintain that balance in your narrative? Do you feel that this is an area in which books and films dealing with similar subject matter have been lacking?
If there is an imbalance or a bias to a story then the narrative becomes a polemic and the author's voice intrudes too much. I wanted the reader to discover Strickland's and Hayama's humanity for themselves. In that way their relationship is more believable.
As for other books and films, I let the viewer or reader draw their own conclusions. A poor writer or director ends up with a poor product. And of course the opposite is also true.
Were there any writers or books that particularly influenced Under The Sun?
Yes, many. But for the sake of brevity I will list just a few, which I recommend to readers who wish to discover more about the novel's themes:
1. Gerald Brenan's St John of the Cross- a biography and criticism of the Spanish mystic's life and work
2. Fr Aelred Graham's Zen Catholicism -a discourse on the connections between eastern and western mysticism, written by a Benedictine monk
3. Laurens Van Der Post's The Seed and the Sower - a sympathetic look at the Japanese soldier from a captive's point of view. Van Der Post himself had been a Prisoner of war of the Japanese in World War 2.
4. Richard Hillary’s The Last Enemy -the autobiography of a RAF fighter pilot who was shot down in the Battle of Britain.
5. Matsuo Basho's The Narrow Road To the Deep North- Basho was a 17th century Japanese shinto priest.
6. Yamamoto Tsunetemo's Hagakure or Book of Leaves- I's the samurai master's book of axioms and observations and is learnt by heart by every samurai.
7. The writings of Yukio Mishima.
To prepare for the novel's vivid depictions of island life and of the mechanics of flying a Spitfire, what was your research process?
Imagination and perspiration.
The novel begins with a brief outline of the historical background to your novel. To what extent do you feel that this background has been forgotten or overlooked in how the war is remembered - particularly in Britain?
It's not so much forgotten but, like you say, overlooked. As a student of history I wanted the reader to have a grasp of how the war began, its chronology and how it ended. The period between the explosions of the two atomic bombs is important, just 3 days. You can argue about the rights and wrongs of Hiroshima for ever, but did the Nagasaki bomb really have to be dropped?
A percentage of the profits from the novel will go to the Japan Society UK. Could you tell us a little about the Society, and how you first became involved with it?
Under The Sun's publisher, Reportage Press, has a mission to support causes which are relevant to their titles. The Japan Society, which was founded in 1891, is Britain's oldest cross-cultural Japan-UK body and does great work in promoting cultural and commerical relations between the two nations. It has over 1000 members in Britain alone.
Many thanks, Justin, and we wish you much success with the book. Justin Kerr-Smiley’s Under the Sun is available now from Reportage Press, and comes highly recommended. For more information about Justin and his work, check out www.justinkerr-smiley.com.