Yukio Mishima
1969-71
Around 825 pages
I was unsurprised to learn that the author of this tetralogy of novels committed seppuku, since about a hundred characters chose that route, and Mishima depicted the act in loving admiration. But damn, what a way to go. And apparently the guy with Mishima botched his decapitation. Oh well, the best laid plans.
So The List has pulled a fast one on us yet again, and have included four novels as one entry. The novels are The Spring Snow, Runaway Horses, The Temple of Dawn, and The Decay of the Angel. To give a broad summary, our main character is Shigekuni Honda, whose friend Kiyoaki Matsugae seems to be condemned to die young, reincarnate, and then die young again.
Spring Snow is generally considered to be the best of the bunch, but I enjoyed The Temple of Dawn the most, which featured my favorite reincarnation, Princess Ying Chan. But overall, this was a tough read. Mishima was clearly a tortured man who despised Western culture, and wanted something back that had been taken away a long time ago. The main character has the same onus, and he is as unsuccessful as Mishima was.
So Mishima joins our elite crew of authors on this List who died horrific deaths. Glad to have familiarized myself with Mishima's work, as he is clearly an influential and tragic historical figure, but not a fun read by any means.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Mishima wrote 34 novels, about 50 plays, about 25 books of short stories, at least 35 books of essays, one libretto, and one film.
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