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tristansreadingmania's review against another edition
5.0
“Oddly enough, living only for one’s emotions, like a flag obedient to the breeze, demands a way of life that makes one balk at the natural course of events, for this implies being altogether subservient to nature. The life of the emotions detests all constraints, whatever their origin, and thus, ironically enough, is apt eventually to fetter its own instinctive sense of freedom.”
- Yukio Mishima, Spring Snow
After finishing this supreme piece of fiction (the first of the tetralogy The Sea of Fertility ), I had the irresistible urge to revisit Gore Vidal's 1971 essay The Death of Mishima published about 8 months after the Japanese author had performed seppuku following a failed coup d'état attempt. It was this essay which prompted me to seek out the work of Mishima. A certain passage greatly struck me, and succinctly explained just what it is about Mishima's sensibility that manages to evoke such a strong reaction in me :
"Yet Mishima wanted a life of the flesh, of action, divorced from words. Some interpreted this to mean that he dreamed of becoming a sort of warlord, restoring to Japan its ancient military virtues. But I think Mishima was after something much simpler: the exhaustion of the flesh in physical exercise, in bouts of love, in such adventures as becoming a private soldier for a few weeks in his middle age or breaking the sound barrier with a military jet. Certainly Mishima did not have a political mind. He was a Romantic Artist in a very fin de siècle French way. But instead of deranging the senses through drugs, Mishima tried to lose his conscious mind (his art) through the use and worship of his own flesh and that of others. Finally, rather than face the slow bitter dissolution of the incarnate self, he chose to die."
It is this desperate longing for a renewed sense of -and respect for- masculinity in all its facets that makes Mishima such an intriguing cultural figure. After Japan's humiliating defeat in WW II the country was forced to metaphorically castrate itself, and over the last couple of decades the Western powers in a lesser degree have as well, but in that case it came about through a series of sociocultural shifts.
Spring Snow of course has a lot more themes on offer. In that respect it is quite a dense read, but one that is greatly aided by Mishima's richly lyrical, sensuous prose. Michael Gallagher must be commended for this brilliant translation, for I felt deprived of none of its intricacies. I was constantly taken aback by Mishima's flawless portrayals of distinctive, unforgettable characters and their emotional states. While quite a traditional writer, he is incredibly meticulous, like a Japanese Nabokov.
Part historical document, part philosophical/spiritual meditation, part love story (in fact two love stories, if you count Kyoaki and Honda's incredibly moving friendship), it is difficult not to find something to derive pleasure from in Spring Snow. In this regard I consider it a nigh perfect springboard for further exploration of Japanese culture during this era. It is simply fascinating, and almost challenges its foreign reader to delve deeper.
If I'd have to hazard a guess, I predict me finishing the entire tetralogy will enhance this first, immensely gratifying tasting even more. How fortunate a discovery, this. Pure joy.
- Yukio Mishima, Spring Snow
After finishing this supreme piece of fiction (the first of the tetralogy The Sea of Fertility ), I had the irresistible urge to revisit Gore Vidal's 1971 essay The Death of Mishima published about 8 months after the Japanese author had performed seppuku following a failed coup d'état attempt. It was this essay which prompted me to seek out the work of Mishima. A certain passage greatly struck me, and succinctly explained just what it is about Mishima's sensibility that manages to evoke such a strong reaction in me :
"Yet Mishima wanted a life of the flesh, of action, divorced from words. Some interpreted this to mean that he dreamed of becoming a sort of warlord, restoring to Japan its ancient military virtues. But I think Mishima was after something much simpler: the exhaustion of the flesh in physical exercise, in bouts of love, in such adventures as becoming a private soldier for a few weeks in his middle age or breaking the sound barrier with a military jet. Certainly Mishima did not have a political mind. He was a Romantic Artist in a very fin de siècle French way. But instead of deranging the senses through drugs, Mishima tried to lose his conscious mind (his art) through the use and worship of his own flesh and that of others. Finally, rather than face the slow bitter dissolution of the incarnate self, he chose to die."
It is this desperate longing for a renewed sense of -and respect for- masculinity in all its facets that makes Mishima such an intriguing cultural figure. After Japan's humiliating defeat in WW II the country was forced to metaphorically castrate itself, and over the last couple of decades the Western powers in a lesser degree have as well, but in that case it came about through a series of sociocultural shifts.
Spring Snow of course has a lot more themes on offer. In that respect it is quite a dense read, but one that is greatly aided by Mishima's richly lyrical, sensuous prose. Michael Gallagher must be commended for this brilliant translation, for I felt deprived of none of its intricacies. I was constantly taken aback by Mishima's flawless portrayals of distinctive, unforgettable characters and their emotional states. While quite a traditional writer, he is incredibly meticulous, like a Japanese Nabokov.
Part historical document, part philosophical/spiritual meditation, part love story (in fact two love stories, if you count Kyoaki and Honda's incredibly moving friendship), it is difficult not to find something to derive pleasure from in Spring Snow. In this regard I consider it a nigh perfect springboard for further exploration of Japanese culture during this era. It is simply fascinating, and almost challenges its foreign reader to delve deeper.
If I'd have to hazard a guess, I predict me finishing the entire tetralogy will enhance this first, immensely gratifying tasting even more. How fortunate a discovery, this. Pure joy.
iluxia's review against another edition
2.0
If love were about possession instead of respect, then this book would be a portrayal of love indeed. But Kiyoaki is difficult to sympathize with, not the least because of his callousness towards the precarious social condition of women in general and the woman he "loves" in particular. Women are the problem, apparently: it's a woman's fault if a man can't control himself; it's a woman who 'breaks the friendship of men'; it's certainly also a woman's fault that he can't make up his mind about what he wants because she 'confuses him.' Women are described here like ripe fruits for consumption and nothing more. Although Mishima is certainly a very skilled writer and that skill is on showcase with this book's beautiful prose, the content itself is hard to swallow. The tragic part is that I can see how this book directly informs the writing of more contemporary Japanese writers, like Haruki Murakami.
lucas_lex_dejong's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
chris_richards's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sylviaisme's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.75
lucaswhite1's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
5.0
As an exploration of psyche and the inner world of Honda and his troubled friend Kiyoaki it's a magnificent work. Thick with description and arresting moments. Too heavy at times... super purple prose and other times you want the characters to get a grip, so removed are they from reality. All in all it's more hypnotic than frustrating. A resounding introduction to this series.
paola_mobileread's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, really beutiful prose, though unfortunately I cannot read Japanese so I cannot be sure how much the translator contributed to making it so fluent.
A very romantic story,
But on the other hand, this all consuming passion needs no explanation - and there is a sense in which I think the friendship between Honda and Kiyo is also something that deepends out of need of the weakest part - Honda is there to care for the only apparently stronger, luckier boy. And indeed these parallel return, e.g. the picture of "the monster" and Kiyo lying on the grass, the physical suffering of the one mirroring the inner turmoil of the other.
I also very much enjoyed the "background" - the relationship between the Ayakuras and the Matsugaes, the old and the new, but also the relationship between hte masters and their servants, some of which are essential for the actual survival of the family. Cannot wait to read the other three books in the series.
(edited version of my own post in the Mobile Read Literary Book Club discussion)
A very romantic story,
Spoiler
it has the fallen girl turning her back to the world and the love stricken man dying of his love. And indeed it si not easy to understand where the love is springing from, at least in the case of Satoko: what did she find in Kyoiaki beyond beauty? Just the capricious broodyness of a morose teenager? That I found difficult to understand. Similarly, I would have expected some analysis of the resentment if not anger that Satoko must have felt being handed over to the women that would take her child away by Kiyoaki himself. And why does not Kiyo look for Tadeshina to find answers? After Satoko's departure, he is completely self absorbed and almost takes pleasure in self pity - he thinks of disasters and wars that could come and shatetr the situation, but only very late in the day resolves to do something about it.But on the other hand, this all consuming passion needs no explanation - and there is a sense in which I think the friendship between Honda and Kiyo is also something that deepends out of need of the weakest part - Honda is there to care for the only apparently stronger, luckier boy. And indeed these parallel return, e.g. the picture of "the monster" and Kiyo lying on the grass, the physical suffering of the one mirroring the inner turmoil of the other.
I also very much enjoyed the "background" - the relationship between the Ayakuras and the Matsugaes, the old and the new, but also the relationship between hte masters and their servants, some of which are essential for the actual survival of the family. Cannot wait to read the other three books in the series.
(edited version of my own post in the Mobile Read Literary Book Club discussion)