Stories that combine fantasy and romance with Osamu Dazai's own psychological concerns reveal the optimistic, humorous and idealistic side of a writer too often typecast as dark, pessimistic and self-absorbed.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Dazai ( Self Portraits ) was one of Japan's foremost writers before his premature death in 1948 at the age of 39. His range extended from the autobiographical fiction for which he is best known to the more fabulous tone of these seven tales. The book opens and closes with pieces featuring five storytelling siblings; Dazai subtly reveals the character of each--longwinded or concise, sentimental or analytical--as he or she contributes to the narrative they are collectively composing: the saga of a mathematics professor who meets his former lover on the street in "On Love and Beauty" or five variations on the Rapunzel legend in "Lanterns of Romance." Both "The Mermaid and the Samurai" and "Blue Bamboo" also derive from the classic fairy-tale tradition, while "Cherry Leaves and the Whistler" reads like O. Henry overlaid with a patina of Eastern sensibility. The ironic "Romanesque" reveals the woeful plight of three strangers who, when they come upon one another at a tavern, instantly recognize their common bond. A minor gem, this collection accessibly combines modern and traditional forms.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Popular with post-World War II readers because of his negative attitude toward the shoyozoku ("setting sun class"), the distinguished Japanese author also known as Tsushima Shuji had a more lighthearted side, which is entertainingly showcased here. McCarthy, who previously translated Osamu's Self Portraits (Kodansha, 1991), ably and smoothly captures his ability to explore varied themes and create dissimilar voices in such stories as "On Love and Beauty" and "Lanterns of Romance." Although the writer could not, finally, reconcile himself with his homeland's fragmented society (he committed suicide in 1948), his work remains a fascinating cultural record of his time. A good buy for all libraries with an interest in modern authors.
- Mike Heines, USAF Rome Laboratory Technical Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Mike Heines, USAF Rome Laboratory Technical Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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