Wagō Ryōichi’s Net-poetry and the Revolutionary ‘Shared Literature’

Although the Fukushima literary scenario offers different approaches to the theme of dystopia and trauma, works of literary criticism are still a few. This article aims to turn scholars’ attention to the relevance of a critic analysis of Fukushima literary response starting from the production of Wagō Ryōichi and his poetical tweets. The purpose is to suggest new study guidelines concerning the literature of the catastrophe as a genre itself, thorough the investigation of the use of words as a vehicle of memory and by extension, the social role of literature towards catastrophe. Wagō’s works also offer the chance to investigate the relationship between literature and social networks, in so far as the success of Wagō’s net-poetry raises concerns about the development of this global communication system to overcome trauma in real time; as a new mean of literary expression, Wagō’s net-poetry also contributes to the literary debate by spreading literary works all over the world in just one click.