Abstract

Although 'lies are painful,' some people tell lies without hesitation. They loudly proclaim falsehoods and brazenly maintain their innocence. If one repeats a lie, does it eventually become the truth? This world seems to be filled with more falsehoods than truths. It's hard to imagine anyone in this world who never tells a lie. But why do people lie? There are lies we tell casually, lies we use to deceive, lies we tell to protect ourselves, and lies we tell in hopes of bringing happiness to others. Is there really a distinction between 'innocent lies' and 'lies that should never be told,' or 'good lies' and 'bad lies'? If there is, what is the difference? Can we measure them by standards of right and wrong, or by their weight? This picture book is a collaboration between the poet Shuntaro Tanikawa, who wrote the poem 'Lie' in 1988, and the illustrator Shinichi Nakayama. It tells the story of a boy who reflects on lies in various ways, delving deep into the recesses of his heart. It's a treasure of a book that reaches into the depths of one's soul and makes you want to revisit it from time to time.

Author’s Information

Poet. Born in Tokyo in 1931. In 1952, he published his first collection of poems, "Solitude of Two Billion Light-Years." In 1962, he won the 4th Japan Record Award for Best Lyrics with "Songs of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday." His work "Songs of Mother Goose" received the Japan Translation Culture Award in 1975, and "Daily Maps" earned him the 34th Yomiuri Literary Award in 1982. Among his numerous awards and publications, he received the inaugural Sakutaro Hagiwara Award in 1993 for "Worldly Unawareness."

Apart from poetry, he has a diverse body of work, including children's books, essays, translations, scripts, and lyrics. The poem "Lie" is one of the pieces from his 1988 collection, "Naked: Poems by Shuntaro Tanikawa" (illustrated by Yoko Sano).