The story of a man who was safe - or so he thought. A man to be envied: the comfortable income, above all, the women ... until things began to disturb the carefully arranged pattern of his life, and he found himself caught in a tightening noose of sexual and emotional involvement....
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English, Japanese (translation)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Junnosuke Yoshiyuki was born in Okayama City in 1924. Drafted in 1943, he was sent home after three days with bronchial asthma. Two years later he entered Tokyo University, majoring in English literature, and in 1949 he published his first novel, Bara Hambainin. Another novel, Genshoku no Machi, was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize in 1952. In the same year, he was hospitalized with pulmonary tuberculosis, and two years later his left lung was removed. Among other novels published between 1954 and 1967 were Shu-u (Akutagawa Prize) and Hoshi to Tsuki wa Ten no Ana (Grand Prix, Minister of Education Awards). The Dark Room (Anshitsu), his first novel to be translated into English, appeared in 1970 and received the prestigious Tanizaki Prize. An earlier translation he made of four stories from Henry Miller's Nights of Love and Laughter was recently complemented by his Japanese version of Miller's Insomnia or The Devil at Large.
The translator, John Bester, is one of the foremost translators of Japanese fiction. In 1990 he received the first Noma Translation Award for his English version of a short-story collection by Yukio Mishima entitled Acts of Worship.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a Japanese O,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Dark Room (Kodansha Modern Writers Series) (Paperback)
This book stars a nameless writer who seems to spend most of his time hopping from bed to bed with various women indulging in sexual pleasure but trying to keep from become overly attached to any one woman. We learn early on in the book that the man had been married for a number of years to one woman named Keiko, bu there was a large black mark on their relationship because the man expects that Keiko cheated on him at some point. This friend, who is also a writer, later asks the man to write a series of articles for a magazine, but it does not seem that the man ever actually writes the articles. The main focus of this book is the man's several sexual partners, including Maki, Takako, and Natsue. Maki is a lesbian who normally finds all men repellent, Takako is a woman who was the writer's on again off again lover, and Natsue who at first filled the same role as Takako but became more to the writer. Many will probably find the writer's actions towards his lovers quite disturbing. His first night with Mika seemed more like rape than sex even if the girl acquised. Oh and he and Natsue play out scenes from the _Story of O_ You have been warned.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What is Birth, What is life and what is loss,
By A Customer
This review is from: Dark Room (Kodansha Modern Writers Series) (Paperback)
I first glanced this novel about 6 years ago.. 6 years later I have passed this book on to many. Its hard to sit through, some of the ideas are extremely un-nerving.. its not a happy tale, and its not something which at the end will bring you closer to light.. It is in short. a hard truth.. maybe one of despair.. more so.. one of torment and Apathy. Loss is so much of our lives though..
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