You start reading a book, you finish it and if you liked it you look for more of same, probably by the same author, some months ago i read "The Sailor who fell from Grace with the Sea" and i was impressed! It was sublime! The writer has this rare gift, he possess the beautiful language that lies in the magical area between prose and poetry, the incredible wise thoughts shared by his characters gets you engaged in deep philosophical questions, this kind of wonderful reading experiences are only intrigued by masters of the human thought and great artists.
Yukio Mishima is a true giant when in comes to the world of modern Literature, in his books, the intoduction to the author section makes sure to remind us that he was born in a Samurai family and was imbued with the code of complete control over mind and body. that is, i believe, a key to understand why is he writing in the way he writes, the lucid often lyrical prose makes you wonder if he is painting or writing, he is indeed a painter when he takes on pages to describe Mount Fuji or the sea waves, two of his favorite themes, you are following a painter's brush strocks as they paint for the reader, an intense picture of Nature.
He becomes a sensuous sculpture toying with words to carve us flesh and muscles and thighs, his phisycal sensuousness is completly erotic, his males are Davids and his women are magical goddesses.
I read the third book "The Temple of Dawn" from his masterful tetralogy "The Sea of Fertility", i was blown away! Nothing and i mean nothing, prepared me for this! Sublime is an understatement, i was completly taken in by the "slow" parts where Mishima takes his time to brief the reader on Buddism and incarnation as much as i was completly following the story itself, a story of sexual obssession and old age that usually do not go hand in hand.
I will not spoil anything but let me say that i didn't expect the ending at all! Off course the first thing now i'm going to do when i enter a bookshop is asking for the remaining books from the "Sea of Fertility" tetralogy.
Mishima commited suicide by the Seppuku tradition on the day he finished his the last page of "The Decay of the Angel" the last book of his tetralogy, he reminds me of Doctor Von Aschenbach, the protagonist in Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice", the musician looking for the perfect flawless work of Art, the one he knew he can see but not touch, he died trying to reach it, Mishima, however, in my opinion, achieved perfection in his tetralogy.
Art is the proper task of life, Nietsche said it and Mishima lived and died by it
Hashem Fouad,
12,August 2013
Yukio Mishima is a true giant when in comes to the world of modern Literature, in his books, the intoduction to the author section makes sure to remind us that he was born in a Samurai family and was imbued with the code of complete control over mind and body. that is, i believe, a key to understand why is he writing in the way he writes, the lucid often lyrical prose makes you wonder if he is painting or writing, he is indeed a painter when he takes on pages to describe Mount Fuji or the sea waves, two of his favorite themes, you are following a painter's brush strocks as they paint for the reader, an intense picture of Nature.
He becomes a sensuous sculpture toying with words to carve us flesh and muscles and thighs, his phisycal sensuousness is completly erotic, his males are Davids and his women are magical goddesses.
I read the third book "The Temple of Dawn" from his masterful tetralogy "The Sea of Fertility", i was blown away! Nothing and i mean nothing, prepared me for this! Sublime is an understatement, i was completly taken in by the "slow" parts where Mishima takes his time to brief the reader on Buddism and incarnation as much as i was completly following the story itself, a story of sexual obssession and old age that usually do not go hand in hand.
I will not spoil anything but let me say that i didn't expect the ending at all! Off course the first thing now i'm going to do when i enter a bookshop is asking for the remaining books from the "Sea of Fertility" tetralogy.
Mishima commited suicide by the Seppuku tradition on the day he finished his the last page of "The Decay of the Angel" the last book of his tetralogy, he reminds me of Doctor Von Aschenbach, the protagonist in Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice", the musician looking for the perfect flawless work of Art, the one he knew he can see but not touch, he died trying to reach it, Mishima, however, in my opinion, achieved perfection in his tetralogy.
Art is the proper task of life, Nietsche said it and Mishima lived and died by it
Hashem Fouad,
12,August 2013
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