"Silence I regard as a masterpiece, a lucid and elegant drama." Irving Howe. -- The New York Times Review Of Books
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"Silence I regard as a masterpiece, a lucid and elegant drama." Irving Howe. -- The New York Times Review Of Books --NY Times Review of Books
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Original Language: Japanese --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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262 of 266 people found the following review helpful
By mp
Format:Paperback
"Silence" is an excellent novel. Comparisons between Shusaku Endo and British novelist Graham Greene are apt, as both deal with the relationships that develop between individuals, Catholicism, and the world. "Silence" is an extremely intense historical novel. While knowledge of Catholicism may be helpful for some of the situations and terminology, the issues of doubt and faith, in God and in people, are readily available to any reader.
"Silence" is set in sixteenth century Japan, where Portuguese missionaries must contend with traders from rival European nations and the persecution of Christians by Japanese feudal lords. The feudal lords want to drive Christianity out of Japan, and try to do so by torturing priests into apostasy, denying their faith. This is done symbolically by stepping on a "fumie," a Christian image, like a picture of Mary or a crucifix. Two Portuguese priests, Sebastian Rodrigues and Francis Garrpe, make a dangerous journey to Japan, both to locate and comfort Japanese converts, and to discover the truth about a supposed apostate priest, Ferreira.
"Silence" makes use of several narrative approaches, third person omniscient at the beginning and ending, while the middle portion of the novel is written in the style of a diary and letters from Rodrigues' point of view. The main protagonist, Rodrigues must deal with the validity of his faith, the propriety of the Christian mission in Japan, the suffering of Japanese converts, and the silence of God in the midst of so much hardship.
Rodrigues' trials are exacerbated by his physical and cultural isolation, as he and Garrpe are forced to conceal themselves in a small hut dug out of the side of a mountain near Nagasaki. Culturally, he must confront being in a nation whose language and customs are mostly alien and threatening to him. The most perplexing external difficulty Rodrigues faces is from an ambiguously motivated local named Kichijiro. Rodrigues' relationship with Kichijiro forces the priest into his deepest and most troubling reflections on faith and the Bible.
"Silence" was an absolutely fascinating read. The historical and cultural milieus of the novel are complicated by Endo's own background. Endo's perspective on Christianity and Catholicism in particular, as a Japanese writer, and writing about Japanese history forced me, at least, as a Westerner, to look at issues of faith and international relations from a radically different perspective than even the foreign-based novels of Graham Greene that I have read, like "The Heart of the Matter" or "The Power and the Glory," the latter of which is thematically very similar to Endo's "Silence". Overall, a tremendous and powerful novel.
123 of 128 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Silence" towers above what passes for most religious fiction for its evocative and unflinching treatment of faith and suffering.
While the theology of pain has been touched on in much of Western literature, most of it recently seems either an apology for God's permitting suffering, rants against God for permitting suffering, or pep talks for believers going through suffering. Philip Yancey has provided a great service on the issue in his books on pain, but even they take a somewhat detached view. By contrast, Shusako Endo seems to write from within the terrible grasp of suffering in "Silence", one of the most moving novels I have ever read.
The plot centers around a band of Portugese priests who land in Japan in the 1600's to spread the gospel on a culturally and spiritually unfertile soil. Their theology is eventually challenged in ways that only persecution and suffering can do: can I carry on here? should I? can I forgive my tormentors? should I? Ultimately, they wrestle with public apostasy and with whether or not they could ever be forgiven if they commit such an act.
This is not a feel-good book by any stretch. It deals with failure, defeat, abandonment, pain, and the 'silence' of God through it all. But at the same time it opens the window wide on what the Man of Sorrows went through on our behalf and on how we need God's grace not because of our strength but because of our weakness. Highly recommended.
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This question, raised countless times by the main character Rodrigues, is just one of many theological issues that Endo explores in this highly emotional, extremely probing novel. The Christian period of Japan is regarded as a somewhat curious anomaly by the Japanese themselves, and is largely unknown in western circles. That Endo could weave so elegant a tale, using a foreign main character (there are few precedents in Japanese literature) and frequently changing narrative styles no less, is an accomplishment in itself.
"Silence" raises several theological points, but the two that stuck with me the most were the following: how can God remain silent despite the suffering of his people (a question no less relevant with the events going on in the world today), and secondly, is it possible that Christianity cannot "grow roots" in the "swamp" that is Japan. A Catholic himself, it is obvious that Endo has struggled over these questions himself, searching for answers. Is it possible to betray your faith but stay true to your God? Endo's frank look at questions like this is part of his universal success. It is amazing to consider that this book was a huge seller in Endo's native Japan, which itself is barely 1% Christian.
"Father, you were not defeated by me," Inoue says to Rodrigues. "You were defeated by this swamp of Japan." "No, no ... my struggle was with Christianity in my own heart" Rodrigues replies. Ultimately, Christian or non-Christian, no matter your age or nationality, faith comes down to these battles in the heart. Endo does a magnificent job depicting this, and Silence is an outstanding book because of it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Need updated edition with the Scorsese forward
The 2007 edition with the introduction by Martin Scorsese are all more expensive than the other editions. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Hugh May
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
The book came really quickly. There were annotations in it, but they were very helpful. I enjoyed the book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Aria
4.0 out of 5 stars
Challenging, but important read.
Definitely a challenging book to engage in. Set it mid-late 17th century Japan, this book follows the course of young, headstrong Jesuit missionaries in Japan, and their facing... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Eric Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, tough questions
The book's topic is the silence that some Christians (most?) feel when they try to pray and trust in God's goodnes while undergoing great difficulties - no answer seems to be... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Grey Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars
"This swamp of Japan"
This fine historical novel is based on a period covering about one hundred years in Japanese history, from the mid-16th to the mid-17th century. Following the arrival of St. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Feldman
5.0 out of 5 stars
God Is Never Silent, If You Listen
December 17, 2012
A Review by Anthony T. Riggio of the book Silence by Shusaku Endo (Translated by William Johnston)
This book was originally published in 1966 and... Read more
A Review by Anthony T. Riggio of the book Silence by Shusaku Endo (Translated by William Johnston)
This book was originally published in 1966 and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Anthony T. Riggio
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece of 20th century Japanese literature
This brilliant novel, which is widely considered to be Endo's masterpiece, describes the persecution and fate of Japanese Christians and Portuguese Catholic priests in the years... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Darryl R. Morris
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shhhh
I am not a big fan of historical fiction -- prefer to read the real thing -- but this book is fantastic. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Orwell Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars
`There are some men in the world who get upset by the persistent...
Some historical background: While it is possible that Christianity was known to the Japanese before the 16th century, it was the arrival of Francis Xavier in 1549 that led to... Read more
Published 14 months ago by J. Cameron-Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiration
Silence STIMULATED me to practice my Religion more faithfully. I feel Silence is uplifting and a tremendous source of inspiration.
Published 14 months ago by Joseph P. Herness
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