BY KEN NASUKAWA

Professor Takashi Toyokuni was born in Muroran. He graduated from the Hokkaido University Department of Literature. After that, he taught at Otaru Commercial College for a long time, and finally as a professor at Sapporo University last year. He has a profound knowledge of English literature from his student days when he majored in Oscar Wilde. And he belonged to an art club and a vocal music club, and still continues oil painting and karaoke as his hobbies even now.

The encounter with the modern English novelist D. H. Lawrence, whose works are his present speciality, came in his thirties. When he read Lawrence's biographical novel "Sons and Lovers" for a research paper, he was profoundly impressed by it. Research on the novelist became his life work after that. "Start with the sun, and the rest will slowly, slowly happen." This is the phrase that Laurence used to describe how the relations with people and with nature should be in his "Apocalypse," and it also was his favorite motto. "I think our existence is made sure by only after its human relationship, and it is just the proof we are here," he said.

Prof. Toyokuni taught as a part-time teacher at SU for a long time. So students know his radiant and unaffected personality well. He presents a class with a frank atmosphere, and let us feel the image of the novels well. So students can steep themselves in that work, and not by the boring way of a strict translation or an analysis of grammar. "Sapporo University students are obedient, so I have no difficulty to teach them," he said. In learning something, prejudice and stiffness are often a cause of disturbance. He said SU students try not to be passive but to reply properly, so we can play catch and have an interactive class. School days are for gaining self-knowledge, so he wants students to be more open-mind and make much of even what appears senseless ; not only English but philosophy, psychology, and, of course, entertainment, for example. Though one tends to seek a straight course in youth, one should be willing to do anything which might seem to be a detour. He thinks one might find a clue to discovering the self from them.

At the end of the interview, he added "Both I and students bring a formal persona to the class. So I want to communicate with the students in another situation, and find their real motivation." This seems to be proof that he practices and seeks for his above motto. He wants students to not only visit his office, but also to ask him out to karaoke. Now, why don't you talk to him?