The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima [Paperback]

Henry Scott-Stokes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995

Novelist, playwright, film actor, martial artist, and political commentator, Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) was arguably the most famous person in Japan at the time of his death. Henry Scott Stokes, one of Mishima's closest friends, was the only non-Japanese allowed to attend the trial of the men involved in Mishima's spectacular suicide. In this insightful and empathetic look at the writer, Stokes guides the reader through the milestones of Mishima's meteoric and eclectic career and delves into the artist's major works and themes. This biography skillfully and compassionately illuminates the achievements and disquieting ideas of a brilliant and deeply troubled man, an artist of whom Nobel Laureate Yasunari Kawabata had said, "A writer of Mishima's caliber comes along only once every two or three hundred years."

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This revised edition of Stokes' 1974 biography of Japanese novelist Mishima, whose obsession with samurai culture and the Emperor led him to commit hara-kiri as a political protest in 1970, is also available in hardcover for $27.50 (-18623-5).
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A brilliant, riveting portrayal not only of Mishima, but also of the upper orders in Japan (Tom Wolfe )

The book is humane, intelligent, and probably as close as a Western reader is likely to get to the subject.... A literate examination examination of the man's work. (Time ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Noonday Pr; Revised edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374524645
• ISBN-13: 978-0374524647
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,166,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good, I'd say., October 25, 2002

By 

Angry Mofo "angrymofo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima (Paperback)

The major point of discussion for reviewers of this book and of John Nathan's biography of Mishima seems to be "Which one is better?" Personally, I'd say neither. For those who were somewhat dissatisfied with the way Nathan glossed over certain things (like, oh, The Sea of Fertility), Scott-Stokes' book has a greater volume of information and a more consistent analysis of Mishima's literature. For instance, I don't recall Nathan having even mentioned Ba-ra-kei (which I intend to procure sometime in the future, now that I know of its existence) in passing; Scott-Stokes, on the other hand, includes it in the appropriate section of Mishima's life (there are four: Literature, Drama, Body and Action). Scott-Stokes also has the better analysis of Mishima's plays, with more quotes and a lengthier discussion.

However, as a whole I think I liked Nathan's work more. I really did not get why Scott-Stokes included the "dramatization" of the Mishima Incident (as the first scene, no less); it's bewilderingly out of place, though I admit that it does provide a good hook to lead into the rest of the book with. But that's emblematic of a larger problem; Scott-Stokes gives himself much greater license than Nathan did to theorize about Mishima's motivations and inner thoughts, and like all canonical examples of dubious reportage, his theories cite anonymous sources. Nor did I particularly appreciate his cavalier dismissal of a rather large part of Mishima's literature as subpar - in fact, unlike Nathan, he really doesn't even come across as an avid reader of Mishima, which would be fine if not for the fact that he decided to be the man's biographer.

If you're interested in Mishima, you're inevitably going to read this, but I recommend reading Nathan's biography first. This will arm you with a good bit of knowledge in advance, and will help you navigate through Scott-Stokes' "original" structure (his book starts with the last day of Mishima's life, then covers his childhood and then branches out into four directions). Scott-Stokes' book, then, will serve as a complement, filling in certain gaps.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Westerner's understanding of Japanese militance, August 30, 2003

By 

Anthony D Ravenscroft (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima (Paperback)

I was a boy when the report came through on NBC Nightly News that Yukio Mishima had committed sepukku after a failed attempt to take control of Japan. They briefly described the mode of death, & how his second-in-command had also died.

This event was far outside the understanding of anyone in rural Minnesota, so my questions hung in the air. The best I could do was a short report & some big photos in LIFE. I found that Mishima had been considered a young literary lion, bringing Japan to a fascinating new fiction that impossibly synthesised classical writing with modern style.

The whole thing didn't make sense. It was like hearing that Jack Kerouac had also been a Brown Shirt -- nobody could reconcile for me Mishima the uniformed revolutionary with Mishima the sensitive author.

This book has helped bring me to a new conclusion: reconciliation is impossible. The author was a friend of Mishima, & possibly the only Westerner allowed into the funeral; he goes into great depth as only a friend (though somewhat baffled himself) could to show the paradoxes embodied, sometimes quite intentionally, within Mishima.

I appreciate that the story has been brought full circle, at least for me.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing life, October 6, 2002

By 

greyhound1954 "greyhound1954" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life and Death of Yukio Mishima (Mass Market Paperback)

Earlier this year, I came across works of Mishima in the used book section of my local book store. When I read that Mishima had committed seppuku and had an "army of young men," I became intrigued about him. I purchased this book and the biography written by John Nathan. I found both books informative and while both covered essentially the same ground, each had items missing in the other. I do not consider one superior to the other, although Scott-Stokes' opening chapter, which details the day of Mishima's death, is riveting stuff. Scott-Stokes, as a journalist, is better at representing Mishima's life in the context of the Japan he lived in, while Nathan, a teacher/writer, is better at interpreting the author's works. Neither can fully explain why Mishima did what he did at the end of his life, but each does his best to give insight into this complex man. It is gracious of Nathan to admit, in the foreword to the newest printing of his biography, that he now understands Mishima better than he did when he wrote the book. Having read both biographies, I know what he means.