教え子ら２００人が故キーンさんしのぶ＝母校の米コロンビア大で追悼式

　【ニューヨーク時事】２月に９６歳で死去した日本文学研究者ドナルド・キーンさんの追悼式が２７日、母校の米コロンビア大で開かれ、かつての同僚や教え子ら約２００人が故人をしのんだ。
　ニューヨーク生まれのキーンさんは、１６歳でコロンビア大に入学。１８歳ごろ出合った英訳版の「源氏物語」に魅了され、日本研究を志した。京都大大学院への留学などを経て、１９６０年にコロンビア大教授となり、研究活動や後進の指導などを通じて日本文化の魅力を広く世界に発信した。
　式典では、キーンさんと親交のあった人々が登壇し、あらゆる文献を読み尽くす研究姿勢や、笑顔を絶やさない明るい人柄など、生前の故人の思い出を語った。
　日本から駆け付けた養子で浄瑠璃三味線奏者のキーン誠己さんもあいさつし、「父が生まれ育ったニューヨーク、こよなく愛したコロンビア大で素晴らしいお別れの会を開いていただいた」と参加者に感謝の言葉を述べた。（2019/09/28-08:53）

A ceremony to commemorate noted Japanese literature scholar Donald Keene, who died in February this year at the age 96, was held at Columbia University in New York, his alma mater, on Friday, with the attendance of some 200 people including those who studied under Keene.
   Keene, who was born in New York, entered the university at the age 16.
   When he was around 18 years old, Keene was mesmerized by an English translation of Japanese classic novel "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji) and started studying Japanese literature.
   After studying at a graduate school of Kyoto University in western Japan, he became a professor at Columbia University in 1960, promoting the charms of Japanese culture across the world through his research activities and fostering of young researchers.
   At the ceremony, people who were close to Keene talked about memories of him, such as his research stance to read all kinds of documents and his cheering personalities.