『失踪願望。コロナふらふら格闘編』
このタイトルは椎名誠に似合わない。彼の本は、結構読んでいる。野外での活動を好み、島の探検や、釣った魚でバーベキューして大酒を飲む。アルゼンチンやモンゴルの秘境に出かけて、探検記、旅行記や写真集をだす作家だ。エッセイも面白い。『さらば国分寺書店のオババ』は、国分寺に住んでいたこともありなつかしい本だ。（ディープなファンも多い。昔、仕事で彼を呼んで講演会を企画したら、開場、2、３時間も前から２０人ほどが並んでいてびっくりした。）彼は、1944年生まれだから、70代後半。2021年の4月に自宅で階段からふとんを抱えたまま落ちて圧迫骨折した。あの筋肉質の巨体の彼が、だ。でも最近少し弱気で、「死亡適齢期」になったなどとも書いている。
それが新型コロナウイルスに感染して、死ぬかもしれないという事態になったのだ。それがこの本。副題は「コロナふらふら格闘編」。６月６日にワクチンは打っている。それで安心したか、６月半ばには編集者たちと彼の喜寿の祝を開く。大声で語り合い、大酒を飲んだ。その２、３日後参加者が発熱、陽性になったと連絡。本人は大丈夫と思っていたが、翌日37.5度になった。体調はたいしたことないので風邪薬を服用したが、2日後に気が付いたら女子医大のベッドにいた。そのあたりの記憶はまだら。あとから家族に聞くと支離滅裂の話をしていたという。点滴を1週間して、2週間で退院した。医者から「運がよかった、倒れてそのまま死ぬ人もいますよ。病院が見つからなかったかもしれない」などと言われた。入院中は幻覚にも悩まされ、鳴っていない音も聞こえたらしい。ともかくも退院、足腰は弱って、立つのも大変だった。それなのに、酒に執着して隠れ飲みまでした。反省しても断ち切れない。この闘病を支えたのが、作家で東日本大震災、原発問題などの社会的発言も行っている妻の渡辺一技さん。時には厳しく、ときには優しく支えたことが、この本に語られている。2023.03.01
A desire to disappear
. Corona infection fluffy fighting edition
This title does not suit Makoto Shiina. I read a lot of his books. He enjoy outdoor activities, exploring islands, barbecuing the fish they catch and drinking heavily. He is a writer who travels to the unexplored regions of Argentina and Mongolia and publishes expeditions, travelogues and photo books. His essay is also interesting. "Farewell Kokubunji Bookstore Aunt" is a nostalgic book because I lived in Kokubunji. He was born in 1944, so he is in his late 70s. In April 2021, he suffered a compression fracture at home after falling down the stairs while holding his futon. That big, muscular guy. However, he's been a bit bearish lately, and even wrote that he's reached a " suitable time for death".
That's when he got infected with the new coronavirus and might die. That's this book. The subtitle is " Corona infection fluffy fighting edition ". He got his vaccine on June 6th. Perhaps relieved, the editors celebrated his 77th birthday in mid-June. They talked loudly and drank heavily. Two or three days later, the participant reported that they had a fever and became positive. He thought he was fine, but the next day it was 37.5 degrees. He wasn't feeling well, so he took cold medicine, but two days later he was in bed at the Women's Medical College Hospital. He has vague memories of that. When he asked his family later, they said they were talking incoherently. After one week of intravenous drip, he was discharged from the hospital after two weeks. Doctors told him, "You're lucky, some people just fall down and die. They might not have found a hospital." While in the hospital, he suffered from hallucinations and apparently heard sounds that were not ringing. Anyway, he was discharged from the hospital, his legs were weak and it was difficult to stand. Despite this, he was obsessed with drinking and even drank in secret. He can't stop thinking about it. His wife, Ichie Watanabe, who is a writer and a social commentator on issues such as the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant issue, supported him in his fight against illness. This book talks about how sometimes they were strict, and sometimes they supported them kindly. 2023.03.01