/lit/ - Literature

Basado Mishima

Mishima's novels were over-the-top dramatizations and nonsense he wrote because it was popular with women. He said so himself.
That said those are some very attractive covers.

>>22641718
>I think I kind of understand why Mishima would do such a thing.
What do you mean by that? I remember reading The Sound of Waves years ago and I liked it as some sort of masculine bildungsroman, are these sort of like that in the context of post-war Japan?

>>22641718
based and true. The radical departure in tone from Runaway Horses to Temple really does show how Mishima was using his writing almost as an orgasm. Eventually he couldn't take it and then did his bit.

I read spring snow and didn't feel compelled to read the rest. Is this a mistake?

>>22642024
Yes. A lot of people like SS and think it's the best in the tetralogy, but I thought it was the worst. Imo about a 3rd of the way through runaway horses and the brilliance starts to show.

>>22642055
Interesting. I suppose I might follow up with it.

>>22642091
If you consider the books as an allegory to Mishima's life and state of mind, it becomes more engaging. I read SS and thought it was meh and waited a while to read RH. I'm glad I did bc Temple of Dawn is excellent and I often find myself thinking about it. It stays in your head and doesn't want to leave.

The last 3 novels have almost nothing in common with SS, so I think that helps as well.

>>22641741
>That said those are some very attractive covers.
I hate those editions. They're stiff dried out cardboard that has no flex to it. The older ones are much better and will last longer as well--my copy of Spring Snow is from the 90s and still looks good.

>>22642122
Well that fucking sucks, I was considering preordering the hardback of Sailor from Penguin based on how good those paperbacks looked but if you're telling the truth it sounds like it might suck shit.

>>22642136
How about you get a copy that you can read nigger, not one that looks good on the shelf.

>>22642142
>you can't read things that look good on the shelf
You'd almost have a point if we were talking about the heaps of untranslated writing from Mishima or something, but you just sound like a whiny poorfag.

>>22642136
I have them and they are alright quality for the price. Not stiff at all compared to penguin classics shit.

>>22641741
>Mishima's novels were over-the-top dramatizations and nonsense he wrote because it was popular with women. He said so himself.
insane that youre trying to portray yourself as in the know when you literally know nothing
he did indeed consider his minor works to be commercial work and writing practice but his major works are most certainly not.
All his famous books outside japan are major works and none of his minor works got translated until fairly recently
Im so fucking sick of all the confidently incorrect posts abut Mishima on /lit/, just read a fucking book or shut the fuck up

>>22642156
Ty for saying it. At no point during the sea of fertility, or sailor, did I ever think this was something a normie or woman would enjoy.

>>22642156
>All his famous books outside japan are major works and none of his minor works got translated until fairly recently
Yes anon, I'm sure Mishima, the man who staged a suicide-by-coup and was deeply involved in post-WWII Japanese politics, considered his political writings to be minor works compared to the dramatic navelgazing novels which were fashionable for a Japanese audience rapidly importing western cultural works and ideas. IT JUST SO HAPPENS that Mishima's estate prevents publication of all his 'minor' and 'unimportant' works - not the works that held his more coherent philosophical and political beliefs which would be extremely embarassing and gauche - while letting the novels about psychosis and homosexuality continue to be printed.

>>22642168
You literally dont read mishima and anyone who does can see right through you, your post makes it obvious you have no idea that the major work - minor work cycle is Mishimas own description of his authorship.
Which political works are you talking about? Novels? Articles? Plays? Share your wealth of knowledge with us.
His philosophical views are quite strenously and eloquently outlined in his major works and obviously anyone with even a mild interest in Mishima would know that "coherent political beliefs" is not something Mishima partook in.
What exactly do you think youre trying to do here? Discredit Mishima because you know everything about him from /lit/ threads?

>>22641718
i dont have much input but this four part series is very very close to my heart

I'm glad someone online feels the same way

>>22642195
>anyone with even a mild interest in Mishima would know that "coherent political beliefs" is not something Mishima partook in.
Ah yes, that's why he wrote multiple political manifestos (which remained broadly unpublished outside of early Japanese and some French publication to my knowledge) explicitly outlining his political beliefs and the political beliefs of his ultranationalist 'students' such as The Counterrevolutionary Manifesto and the Shield Society Manifesto.
The view of Mishima that arises to the English audience who have been allowed to read only the dramatic and psychological narrative works which his estate has deemed 'acceptable' since his suicide is incorrect. Its bizarre to me that you accuse me of trying to discredit him by pointing out that he wrote much more of tangible substance, tangible enough that his own family has repressed it for political and social reasons. It suggests to me that you identify so strongly with the dramatized psycho-sexual caricature of Mishima that he presents himself as in his novels that any suggestion that the man wasn't a lunatic offends you.

>>22642222
Do you not realize how incredibly unhinged it makes you sound to claim that writings you have never read represent the True Mishima while other writings you have never read represent the False Mishima?

You do not understand Mishima because you havent tried to, and obviously I cant explain to you how stupid you sound to someone who has actually spent time reading and thinking about this subject.
Anyone who has actually read Mishima or spent time reading about him can plainly see that your posts are nonsense from someone who has skimmed his wiki article and read posts on /lit/ (and by actual reading i mean his biographies or other translated content, not some idea you have of him in your mind based on literally nothing)
You also made up your first post >>22641741

>>22642295
>go actually read Mishima bro
>N-N-NOT THAT MISHIMA THOUGH TH-THAT DOESN'T COUNT
okay

>>22642322
But you havent read any of it? What on earth do you think youre accomplishing here?
Both his biographies have good info and partial translations of his political writing if youre interested in actually doing some reading, but even if you did that you would still understand less about Mishima than someone who has only read his novels.

Should these be read in order? I accidentally got Runaway Horses first from the library because it came first alphabetically.

>>22642517
These have to be read in order. It’s a tetralogy.

>>22641741
>That said those are some very attractive covers.
dog shit taste opinion discarded

>>22641741
cope from a man who hated his own sensitivity because he thought it made him too feminine to be a "real man." fascism is a poison that rots from the inside out, anons

>>22642136
This guy is lying >>22642153. They're stiff cardboard. You can even see the cheap plastic film peeling off of one in OP. The older ones are much better.
>t. had the option of buying one of the newer editions and went with a used older one instead

Typical melodramatic self-important homosexual

>>22643137
My thoughts exactly kek

>Before Yukio Mishima committed ritual suicide on 25 November 1970 he delivered a speech from a balcony in the garrison in central Tokyo, which he had occupied along with four members of his private militia, calling for a military coup and the restoration of imperial power.

Not sure how that was going to work out honestly, then he killed himself. Hemingway also killed himself. Not trying to follow that example really.

>>22644539

Che wrote a book and overthrew a regime, but his book was just a practical nonfiction manual for guerrilla warfare, like Mao's poetic contemplations on warfare written hidden within the caves of China.

If you filter out the godless communism, it is sincerely beautiful. But it is now outdated and lacking, needs to be updated. This is from a 1989 translation from the Chinese published by the US Marines.

>>22644539
It wasn't supposed to succeed, just like in one of his books where a coup fails and a character commits seppuku. He wanted to die artfully

>>22644559
Oh shit, I actually want to download this for reasons but I'm for sure going to end up on a watchlist

>>22641718
I like how he always writes women as betrayers and easily corruptable creatures with no virtues. Why is he actually popular with women, because there is usually romance?

>>22641718
I'm not a graphic design expert but the "VINTAGE MISHIMA" text completely ruins those covers
>>22642222
With OCR and machine translations it should be easy to get rough translations of his untranslated works if online copies exist. I also remember some anon who made threads here individually translating them himself.

>>22641718
Now read Confessions of a Mask and realise that the coup attempt was just Mishima way of fulfilling his suicide kink.

>>22646050
Its more than a simple kink, but effectively yeah. The coup was a dramatized suicide. The entire concept of seppuku rests on immortalizing one's character in death, that's why it was considered honorable.

>>22646057
that's the concept of seppuku, not mishima's seppuku. his was very self involved. the coup was really halfway between a coup and a play written by and starring mish. there was also a message to the japanese people about returning to their roots but the main thrust of it was "look how badass and sexy i am".