Yukio Mishima

[Anonymous No.19839950]

I recently watched Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, and was entranced by it. I honestly want to get into the works of Yukio Mishima to better understand him and also to read some great books. Any suggestions for where to start? I've rented Confessions of a Mask from my library which should arrive tomorrow, is that a good one to begin with?

Lastly, would anyone be able to explain what made him so special? Not doubting that he is. I understand that he was wildly popular in Japan during his lifetime before his political shift and all. Like what about his writing drew people in, or even drew you guys into his work.

Any suggestions and explanation of why his work is loved is appreciated.

[Anonymous No.19839980]

Half of his popularity is due to his spectacular exitus. Maybe the most brilliant self-marketing campaign in the history of literature? It's almost surprising that he really was an outstanding writer, even though he might have written too much for it to reach the necessary level of perfection.

[Anonymous No.19839981]

>>19839950
I was also inspired by the biopic to get into Mishima. I admit I only read his novels, but "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea" is an all-time great.

Of course a lot of what makes Mishima interesting in retrospect is the manner of his death, but I think he captured a certain dissatisfaction with modernity which was still in its early articulations when he was writing. Of course, actual critiques of modernism are as old as modernism itself, but the particular vibe (for lack of a better term) that Mishima and authors in his wheelhouse embody is quite compelling. His characters are full of passion in ways that are confused and compelling in equal parts because of the ways those passions conflict with the (modern) world around them. It's easy enough to dismiss him as a reactionary, but it's more interesting in my opinion to see him not looking at the past but mourning the future. Also he was a homosexual, and homosexuals are often good writers

[Anonymous No.19840100]

>>19839981
Ah I see, I was wondering if that was intentional with his characters, at least in the movie. I was assuming maybe it was just cultural differences but it makes more sense now that you put it that way.

[Anonymous No.19840597]

>>19839950
>I've rented Confessions of a Mask from my library which should arrive tomorrow, is that a good one to begin with?

No. The gay books he wrote are the worst of his oeuvre. Also Sun & Steel is really bad.

Read the trilogy.

[Anonymous No.19841217]

>>19840597
>trilogy.
Tetrology.
>>19839950
I started with (above) but Spring Snow filters a lot of people who complain about it being slow-moving. Start with "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea" if your attention span is shit and you don't appreciate things like motif and symbolism as much.

[Anonymous No.19841224]

>>19841217
>tetrology
Tetralogy. That's what I get for being an asshole and correcting someone.

[Anonymous No.19841232]

He read the Western classics widely and deeply. The Sound of Waves, for example, is a re-telling of Daphnis and Chloe. I actually think he is a fascinating figure and many of his books are spectacular but others are underwhelming.

[Anonymous No.19841248]

>>19839981
>Also he was a homosexual, and homosexuals are often good writers
kek not true, all the fags I know are retards. Some writers just happen to be fags. You have it backwards.

[Anonymous No.19841277]

>>19841232
I also think he captures this Japanese-ness thing, whether that’s mono-no-aware I think they call it or a certain vibe or whatever. There’s thing that’s found in Japanese media like manga, and anime especially that I think he captured really well and depicted in his stories. Some are stories and some are more like paintings, but they all have some unique something.

[Anonymous No.19841413]

Where to buy a Japanese version of "The sailor who fell from grace with the sea"? Asking for a weeb.

[Anonymous No.19841596]

>>19841217
Who is david in the pic?

[Anonymous No.19841605]

>>19841413
Amazon

[Anonymous No.19841612]

>>19841248
Start with the canon

[Anonymous No.19841731]

Mishima is the only author where the biopic seems more watched than his books have been read. Same with his Wiki articles. Hes one of the greatest novelists Ive read

[Anonymous No.19841863]

>>19841596
DFW newfag

[Anonymous No.19842206]

>>19841863
>as he died he came

[Anonymous No.19842399]

Am I a midwit for sometimes having trouble with mishimas psychological tangents/monologues? I'm thinking specifically of the speeches that the club foot guy gave through the temple of the golden pavilion.
They get me to think more than most books which I guess is good but I've never heard Mishima described as a particularly complex author so I always wonder if I'm just looking for something that isn't there.

[Anonymous No.19842414]

>>19840597
>Sun & Steel is really bad
filtered nerd its time for you to be flushed again

[Anonymous No.19842418]

>>19842399
My experience with Japanese art and entertainment has led me to believe that they tend to value the aestheticism of a thought more than its actual content. I think this works well when it comes to communicating, in prose and other mediums, those subtle, irrational sensations that bubble up from our subconscious from time to time, but when it comes to actual ‘philosophy’ they seem to think it just means incoherent waffling that sounds deep. I think the problem is compounded by translation — thoughts that seem subtle or grandiose in Japanese, because of the associative aspects of their alphabetical characters, might not be adequately conveyed when reduced to their literal meaning. I don’t know Japanese though, so I could be completely wrong

[Anonymous No.19843016]

>>19842399
Nahhh that's really his most complicated work in terms of philosophy. I didn't understand it for a while. You have to see through that disabled kid's eyes to understand. The rest of Mishima's work is not as difficult. There's symbolism and hints and stuff in the sea of fertility but the primary focus is on beauty and purity. It's all about creating the most beautiful images and elevating the reader's consciousness to beauty of the world.

[Anonymous No.19843094]

>>19839950
Mishima is big in Japan regardless of his politics. Those didn't do him good actually.

[Anonymous No.19844464]

>>19842418
This is very good anon. Spot on.

[Anonymous No.19844484]

>>19841217
Bout to order a batch of books from japan (saves on shipping to batch them). Already have gogo no eiko, what else should I grab from Mishima?
Also grabbing ningen shikaku, umabe no kafuka, and watashi wo hanasanaide from assorted other authors

[Anonymous No.19845252]

>>19839950
This chart has served me well. I just finished Confessions of a Mask and not sure how it would work as one's first Mishima book. That being said, it was the first book the english-speaking world got from him and he was able to get popular here from it. I definitely think The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea is the best entry point, but it's probably not a big deal.

[Anonymous No.19846495]

>>19839950
All the books featured in the movie (except the one that isn't translated, Kyoko's House I think) are very good reads. The real standouts of his work are Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Sailor who fell from Grace with the Sea (best place to start) and if not the whole Sea of Fertility Tetralogy at least the first two books of it.

[Anonymous No.19846591]

>>19841863
WHO IS DAVID???

[Anonymous No.19846754]

>>19845252
Is After the Banquet?
Ive had an unread copy for years, Ive already read most of his major works

[Anonymous No.19846898]

I’d agree with the people saying start with the sailor. His gayness does a great job of making you love the sailor and feel happy for him while he’s around fusako. Honestly shed a gay tear for my boy during this book. Sun and steel is an odd read. You could meme it into a piece of gym motivation, or some other unfair interpretations if you’re feeling lazy when you read it. I personally like his thoughts on working backwards from his tendency to detach from the physical world through words, and overcoming that by learning to enjoy the fruits of labor. His obsession with an aesthetic death is interesting too, I think he’s someone a lot of male readers could sympathize with.

[Anonymous No.19847460]

In the last Mishima thread someone recommended The Sound of Waves and described it as a "150 page hug for the soul". I read it and completely agree. I am looking forward to reading The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, or Sun and Steel next. If we are lucky maybe we'll summon the anon that translates his non-fiction essays.

>>19839950
>Lastly, would anyone be able to explain what made him so special?
Mishima seems both a deeply conflicted but proud and upbeat person, so I find him relatable. I like the Japanese perspective generally because they are a large, creative, relatively recently industrialized, yet non-Christian nation, which is uncommon.

[Anonymous No.19847472]

>>19846591
>WHO IS DAVID???
The one who didn't come.

[Anonymous No.19847505]

What's his least gay book

[Anonymous No.19847595]

>>19841612
This pic is by far the biggest cope I've seen here, why didn't you post HIV statistics you retard

[Anonymous No.19847701]

>>19847505
anon... they're all gay

[Anonymous No.19847796]

>>19847701
How is Sound of Waves gay?

[Anonymous No.19847883]

>>19847796
no straight man can describe the divers' breasts like that

[Anonymous No.19848057]

>>19846754
i loved it. the description of the restaurant are so vivid i still have a clear picture of it in my head + the main character is kino