BY KOHKI WATANABE

Prof. William Jones came to Sapporo University (S.U.) last April. He taught English Composition ��, English Literature and English Poetry. He speaks only English in his class. This is very good experience for students. I took English Composition ��class and this class centered on the analysis of English sentences and English composition from the viewpoint of a native speaker of English. He gave us homework every week and handed it back to his students with polite correction. His atmosphere, like that an English gentleman, made us feel comfortable and urged our intellectual curiosity. Because the students were interested in him, we interviewed him about his life, the chance that brought him to Japan and his impression of S.U. and Hokkaido.

Prof. William Jones was born in Hereford, a city that lies near the border between England and Wales. He has always been interested in Shakespeare while he was at Cambridge University in the early 1950s he majored in English Literature. After he graduated from Cambridge, he became a teacher at an English Public (Independent) School. We asked him what made him a teacher. He said "I didn't want to be a businessman. I like to discuss books, and also I like the atmosphere of a school. I am shy by nature but when I forget myself. I am like a actor who can only relax when he is on the stage."

After he taught English Literature in England for twenty years, he entered the Graduation School in Edinburgh University where he majored in Applied Linguistics in order to become a teacher in a foreign country. We asked him the reason for this. He said, with a complicated expression, "I don't understand it myself, oddly enough. I am not traveler, but one day the idea suddenly came to me that I would eventually live in Japan." He added with a smile, "I haven't never regretted becoming a teacher in Japan. I am well content with my present life."

While he was studying at Edinburgh University he made friends with three Japanese overseas students and became strongly interested in Japan. Just at that time, the Japanese Ministry of Education was looking for teachers at National Universities, and he applied for a post at Hokkaido University because his friends earnestly recommended him to do so. He taught at Hokkaido University for fifteen and a half years and subsequently at Hokkai Gakuen University for five years. In both of universities, he taught English language, with a strong emphasis on composition, and he has edited many papers written in English by Japanese professors at Hokkaido University, particularly of medicine, law and science. He likes to introduce students to the English language through the study of literature and he still teaches a graduate seminar in Shakespeare at Hokkaido University. On his retirement from Hokkaido University, he was elected an Emeritus Professor.

We asked him for his impression of S.U. He said, "S.U. is very open. The universities in towns tend to be enclosed and inward-looking, but S.U., thanks to its wonderful site, has an outward-looking attitude not only physically but psychologically, too. I am glad as well that I have more chance to teach literature." He added, jokingly, "Since I came to S.U., my blood pressure has dropped and I haven't felt any stress." As for the students, he said, "Most students are immature. I don't know what they want to do. I hope they speak to me more and come to my office."

As for Hokkaido, he said, "Hokkaido is comfortable for me because society, culture and nature seem to live in harmony together. I often go for a walk in Tsukisamu Park or Makomanai Park because I love nature. Sometimes I speak to the trees in the park. Of course, I know that they can't understand what I say, but I feel some sort of kinship with it."

During a talk which he gave at the 11th International Culture Forum hosted by Sapporo University, Prof. Jones said, "There is a wonderful Botanical Garden in Edinburgh, near where I used to live, and every day I would walk there, and would often find trees that were "native to Japan." I thought that if they could be so successfully transplanted from Japan to Britain, then perhaps I could be transplanted from Britain to Japan." He continued, "If I die in Japan, I would like my ashes to be buried in the Foreigners' Graveyard at Hakodate. I wish to sleep in Hakodate facing the sea roads that lead from Japan to other countries, because all my life I have lived on a border between one country and another. I was able to come to Hokkaido by the grace of many friends and perhaps it was my destiny to be transplanted to Japan. I very much appreciate my friends' kindness." He spoke in a gentle tone and didn't become at all excited.

We can find the influence of his friends at many turning point in his life. His gentlemanly attitude may attract people. Although he is not a Japanese national, he loves Hokkaido more than many Dosanko. During the interview, he replied to my questions politely, in spite of my bad English. I urge you to visit his office. You may be able to practice English conversation and learn from him about English culture. I really appreciate Prof. Jones' kindness in giving an interview.

Pro. William Jones