The Housekeeper and The Professor

Chari, Nia (2022) The Housekeeper and The Professor. At Right Angles (14). pp. 74-76. ISSN 2582-1873

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Abstract

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder, is a story of maths, memory, and the beautiful human connections that change and shape us. It centres around a Professor of maths, the Housekeeper who works for him, and her son, Root. The crux of this story is that the Professor’s memory only lasts 80 minutes. Because of an accident almost 20 years prior to the beginning of the story, he cannot retain new memories for longer than 80 minutes. To quote a character from the book, he can remember a theorem he developed thirty years ago, but he has no idea what he ate for dinner last night. As a result of this, the Housekeeper needs to introduce herself to him every morning, because he forgets about her. Ogawa describes how he sticks little post-its onto his coat-sleeves, to remind him of the most important pieces of information.

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Articles in APF Magazines

Authors:

Chari, Nia

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