A氏「僕はマスコミの言うことを信じるつもりはありませんよ。」 えいきょう
Bさん「でも、私達は多かれ少なかれ、マスコミの影響を受けていると思いますが。」
Mr.A: Boku wa masukomi no iukoto wo shinjiru tsumori wa arimasen yo.
Miss B: Demo watashitachi wa ookare sukunakare masu komi no eikyoo wo uketeiru to omotmasu ga.
Mr. A: I have no intention of believing what the mass media have to say.
Miss B: But aren't we all influenced, more or less, by the mass media?
* * *
Ookare sukunakare means something is neither too much nor too little. The expression is usually used adverbially.
I recently read a very interesting short story by the best-selling author Hiroyuki Itsuki titled Aozameta Uma wo Miyo. The story tells of a famous Soviet novelist and the scandal he is caught up in when a book published under his name (though actually coauthored by others) is published outside the Soviet Union and turned into a sensation by the mass media; the hovel is a very realistic critique of Soviet society.
Kono shoosetsu wo yonda hito wa ookare sukunakare kare no shoosetsu wo motto yomitakunarimasu (To a greater or lesser degree, most people who read this story will want to read more of Itsuki's books). Since he studied Russian literature at college he fills this book with nostalgic descriptions of the Russian countryside and introductions here and there of various Russian authors. Thanks to perestroika more and more people now make trips to the Soviet Union. If you read this book before going, ryokoo no insho wa ookare sukunakare chigatte kuru deshoo (the impressions you pick up on your trip will be, to some degree or another, different).
Would any of my readers be interested in translating one of Itsuki's books into English? Itsuki has a thorough knowledge of art and music and has written many excellent novels. Not all of his books, however, are worthwhile; some are perfectly boring (inevitable when you write so much?) In any case, because of this, he is classified as a taishu sakka (author of popular fiction). Don't all authors of so-called jun bungaku (pure literature), ookare sukunakare taishuuteki na yooso wo motteiru (possess, to some degree, popular elements in their style? )
Itsuki was the topic of a recent discussion I had with someone in the publishing business. "He's really difficult because he's so high-strung; He always has to have his say about what the book's cover will look like and will only use photographs he likes. He's also always late in submitting his manuscripts. But his books do sell, so what can you say? Everyone just has to be patient with him!"
When I heard this, I came to like Itsuki even more. Just because one's an author doesn't mean one has to feel that as long as the sentences are good, nothing else matters. To make sure one's manuscript ends up as a book one is happy with-ookare sukunakare daremo ga motsu kimochi de wa nai deshoo ka (isn't this a feeling that more or less everyone has?) I sure do.