Fiction as a Site of ‘Self’ Mourning: A Psychoanalytic Approach to Hayashi Kyōko and Her Atomic Bomb Literature

Abstract

As one of the most prolific atomic bomb writers in Japan, Hayashi Kyōko’s oeuvre demonstrates the ongoing negotiation of her positionality in relation to the hibakusha identity. Adopting a psychoanalytic framework to interpret her narratives, this paper divides Hayashi’s four-decade-long writing career into three stages and closely examines representative works from each phase. Her early writings heavily focus on her past experiences surviving the bombing, fulfilling a cathartic need. In the transitional stage, Hayashi undergoes a symbolic pilgrimage around and beyond her hibakusha self, leading to her ‘self’-less final works dedicated to conveying anti-nuclear messages to a general audience. Despite the rich dynamics, Hayashi Kyōko’s works remain underexplored in the English-speaking world. Nevertheless, as we continue to live in the nuclear era, the genre of atomic bomb literature warrants further interpretation.