The Works Of Mishima

Re:Mishima Yukio is unknown to me(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.02.15 3:14 (#14717460) (http://mercedo-comments.blogspot.com/ Last Journal: 2006.02.14 6:10)

In 1970, I was still at age 9. I didn't know anything about him till we had a shocking news with military uniform, with headband he was making a speach at the headquarter of Self Defence Force in Tokyo. Later at age 14, I started reading his novel, 'The Sound Of Tidal Wave' simply because it was dramatised in a movie and became very popular among Japanese young including us like middle school students. It was a love story between the young.

I was impressed in not the story of his novel, the story was rather boring but the way he described, immediately after I read this novel I understood he is not a novelist but a poet, and a distinguished poet. I started reading his novels one after another, 'The Spring Too Long', 'A Forest Full Of Flowers', 'A Boy Who Writes A Poem', ' Fellow', 'Tabacco', 'Excerpts From Philosophical Diary By Murderers', 'A Million Yen Baked Rice Candy', 'Worrying About A Country', 'Pyrotechnic or Chrysanthemum ( I'm not sure the title but it was about 100 victims of Chinese under Japanese occupation )', 'The Golden Pavillion', 'Confession Of the Mask',' The Beast's Play', 'Thirst For Love', 'The Cateract Sunk'. I read 7 middle sized novels and 20 short stories from age 14 to 15, just for two years. I didn't read all of his novels, though, I recommend 'Excerpts From Philosophical Diary By Murderers' and ' Confession Of the Mask'.

The Confession Of the Mask is widely regarded as his best novel, but it's not a novel as such. It is a chronicle of his private life since his birth. Here's the list of his books [amazon.com] in amazon.com. His last 5 novels were a series of five books which are 'Spring Snow', 'The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea', 'The Decay Of The Angel', 'Runnaway Horses', 'The Temple Of Dawn', all were written based on the thought of samsara and all are boring, we don't have to read.

I was enchanted with reading his novels for two years to the extreme, although I only read half of his all novels, I think it was enough.

My most recommended reading on his writing is 'Excerpts From Philosophical Diary By Murderers', this is written at age 18. This volume is 10 pages or something but very excellent work, you would probably find it in a collection of short stories.

Do you know of any especially good translators?

For example, I wrote my prose 'The Eve' at age 17 in Japanese first, then many years later I myself translated it into English, so my writing is able to be regarded as being written both in Japanese and English. I think unless he himself translated his works into English, true translation is hard. If you could enjoy his works, I am really glad.

--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters[ Reply to This Parent ]