Customer Reviews

Five Modern No Plays (Vintage International)

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I've been a fan of Yukio Mishima since I first heard of him and watched the film version of Mishima: Life in Four Chapters. I have friends who say he is too morbid, although I find his work deep, serious, it is also fascinating. In this collection, there is actually some bright spots, I even laughed during the first play. My old version of this book was regular paperback size, yellowed, and deteriorating. So I happily bought this newly reprinted version.

There are five plays presented here of different topics and settings, but all are interesting. I wish there were more English translations of his works, I've read them all and want to read more.

Stark and startlingly beautiful, these plays will grace, enchant, mesmerize and haunt you as long as you live. The No play is here proven to be a fully contemporary vehicle for the exploration of abiding existential questions even while tearing your heart out with the beauty of it all

These plays represent some of the most advanced, haunting and enchanting writing to be found in dramatic literature. A must for anyone involved in the theatre.

Do you know Noh? If you don't know Noh then you don't know Japanese culture. In these modern Noh plays by the great Yukio Mishima, you can find a deep spiritual meaning. In Japan Noh is a kind of religion. No one undersood the Japanese soul as well as Mishima. The themes reveal his own obsessions, such as his fascination with beauty and death. In Sotoba Komachi, we have the Faustian story of the femme fatale. Works of such classical beauty are a welcome change from bestseller novels like Harry Potter. If you have an interest in the Japanese soul then you missing this book is a no-no.

Good luck trying to order this book through amazon, it took longer than a month for amazon to get back to me after ordering this to explain that they could not find a way to get it and ship it.