Tags: Novel.
Note: all Japanese names in this article are given in Western order with surname last and given name first A Personal Matter (個人的な体験 Kojinteki na taiken) is a novel by Japanese writer Kenzaburō Ōe. Written in 1964 the novel is dark deeply personal and semi-autobiographical. It tells the story of Bird a man who must come to terms with the birth of his mentally disabled son.