Novelist David Gordon, author of the 2010 book The Serialist, just discovered that he is famous in Japan, something that he wasn’t expecting.
His books had been translated into Japanese, but the author says that his day-to-day life had not really changed after publishing a book, that is until he visited Japan. The author was invited to a film premiere for a movie that was based on one of his books and was greeted by the paparazzi. The author recounts his funny experience in a piece penned for The New York Times. Here is an excerpt:
In a daze, I was paraded before the press, blinded by flashbulbs and tracked by TV cameras. But because I couldn’t understand the directions, I often talked to the wrong camera, stared into space or even leaned on the scenery — until my intrepid and glamorous young translator told the reporters to wave if they wanted David-san to look at their cameras, like a baby at a birthday party. I watched the film with her whispering in my ear: “He is the detective.” It was as if I had fallen asleep and had a weird dream about my own book.