Celebrate Godzilla's 70th anniversary with a talk by Professor Jeffrey Angles, Western Michigan University, who translated the Japanese novellas "Godzilla" and "Godzilla Raids Again" by Shigeru Kayama.
Jeffrey Angles is a professor of Japanese at Western Michigan University. He is the author of "Writing the Love of Boys" (Minnesota, 2011) and award-winning translator of Orikuchi Shinobu’s "The Book of the Dead" (Minnesota, 2017) and Hiromi Ito’s "The Thorn Puller." His book of poetry, "My International Date Line" (Watashi no hizukehenkosen ), won the 2017 Yomiuri Prize for Literature, making Jeffrey the first American to win this prestigious prize.
Godzilla Fest is a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the 1954 release of the film "Godzilla" by Toho Studios in Tokyo. The giant monster, who attacked Japan after being awakened by hydrogen bomb testing, went on to become a global icon. Godzilla has starred in 38 films and has appeared in comic books, games, novelizations, advertisements, toys, and more.
The king of the monsters has also been interpreted widely as a symbol for the destructive nature of humankind—from nuclear war to climate change.
Godzilla Fest is organized by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at the University of Notre Dame, the St. Joseph County Public Library, and the Browning Cinema at Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. More information is available at asia.nd.edu/godzilla.
Originally published at asia.nd.edu.