Reviews - 銀河鉄道の夜

103 reviews for:

銀河鉄道の夜

宮沢賢治

3.87 AVERAGE

georgewrfisher's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

pnutmao's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

ihummarina's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

george_yassington's review against another edition

5.0

emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

sonnenkaefer's review against another edition

4.0

reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

maedbetweenthepages's review against another edition

4.0

3.5. Rounded up for GR.

I picked up this collection of stories because my favorite Japanese artist, Junaida, has a series of books where he paints artistic interpretations of Miyazawa’s work.

After reading a few of the excerpts, I found myself wanting to read some of his work in full- especially Night on the Galactic Railroad which is one of his most famous stories.

This collection has the aforementioned story as well as two other short stories and a poem. I can see why these four works have been grouped together as they share a lot of the same motifs: birds, signposts, nature, and the cosmos. All motifs I thoroughly enjoy and see reflected in Junaida’s work.

As for the stories themselves, Miyazawa is able to capture the nonsensical whimsy of childhood in a beautiful way; you don’t really understand what’s happening, but you don’t want or need to. Things are wondrous and beautiful simply for the sake of it being so. However, there is a constant undercurrent of melancholy that accompanies this imagery. A contradiction between the harsh confines of reality and the unbridled possibilities of the imagination.

This melancholy is striking, but made the stories a little less enjoyable for me. Ironically this will probably make the stories stay with me longer and lend themselves to further contemplation, but currently, I wish these had been a little more lighthearted. Either way, I’m glad I read this short collection and I can see myself reading more of his work.