Fires on the Plain (Tuttle Classics) [Paperback]

Shohei Ooka (Author), Ivan Morris (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tuttle Classics | Publication Date: May 1, 2001

This haunting novel explores the complete degradation and isolation of a man by war. Set on a Philippine island during World War II where the Japanese army is disintegrating under the blows of the American forces landings, Private Tamura's own private battles cost him first his hope and then his sanity as he loses his own tenuous ties with human society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This book will leave you with unshakeable images.” -- The Rafu Magazine

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804813795
• ISBN-13: 978-0804813792
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Books & Reading > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, April 9, 2005

By 

R. Brown "JapanVisitor.com" (Kyoto) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fires on the Plain (Tuttle Classics) (Paperback)

Both a soldier and professor of literature in his lifetime, Shohei Ooka weaves in his own experiences as a POW during WWII to present the story of Private Tamura in the unforgettable war story Fires on the Plain. Abandoned by his company on Leyte Island, in the Philippines, as it is losing in a slow, agonizing battle with American forces, Tamura has nowhere to go, nothing to do. As he becomes further and further removed from the "society" of his regiment, his peers, Tamura begins to fall apart. He has come down with consumption and as such is no longer of any use to his platoon, which is facing annihilation. Food is the primary obsession of Japanese commanders - there simply isn't enough. The dying and wounded are therefore sent to the field hospital to be kept until they expire - or are kicked out when their food supply runs out. When Tamura, however, returns from a brief visit to the hospital, his commander slaps him brutally. "You damned fool! D'you mean to say you let them send you back here?" He is thus sent back again; the hospital, however, will not let in patients who don't have their own food. Without food, patients are pronounced "cured" and sent on their way. And thus begins an existential and brutal journey into a heart of darkness.
The story focuses on the gradual and permanent removal from society of Private Tamura. Slowly but surely, his ties to society are severed. Tamura, an intelligent and decent man, is thus completely alone in a war zone. He doesn't have a reason to die, so he stumbles about the Philippine countryside in search of food. While searching for sustenance, he must avoid both the local people and American soldiers. During his trials, Tamura carries on an internal dialog on his situation, which reads like a treatise on the existence of God. The imagery is poetic and horrifying, a portrait of a man's descent into hell. Haunting and powerful.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treat for all the senses -- beautiful and bizarre., May 19, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Milford, Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fires on the Plain (Tuttle Classics) (Paperback)

Ooka Shohei's Fires on the Plain (Nobi) is vividly transcribed and will leave readers with a lasting impression. The author manages to merge stunning literary description with the horrors of war as seen from the point of view of a losing army. The protagonist's slow descent into madness is sublimely rendered -- at once painful to read yet impossible to put down. Like another reviewer posting here, I too read this on a plane and found myself transported 50 years and thousands of miles to the Philippines, amid lush jungles and the fallout of armed conflict. The impact of this novel's stunning end must be experienced to be appreciated. An engaging and educational read that speaks eloquently to our most basic human needs, desires, delusions and taboos.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This should be required reading..., January 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fires on the Plain (Tuttle Classics) (Paperback)

I originally picked up "Fires on the Plain" because the story takes place on the island where my grandparents resided and during the time when my father was born. It took a while for me to finally get around to reading it. Unwisely, I chose the plane ride from the Bay Area to Hawaii (so that's about 5 hours) to finally do so...the heavy and heady themes of this amazing novel did not make an easy start to my much-too-short and much-too-irregular vacation. I must have looked silly to my fellow passengers who, during the course of the flight, observed me undergo various emotional planes. In the end, I closed the book, let out an audible sigh, and allowed myself to cry silently. I trust (and hope) that I am not alone in expressing my gratitude to having experienced Mr. Ooka's writing in this manner...I intend to share this with my father; hopefully, we will share a similar love for the sadness in this story.