Customer Reviews

Unspeakable Acts

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This book's volume is a little misleading. You look at it and you think you're in the presence of the definite english treatise on the life and work of Terayama Shuji, but later you realize that you only get a mere 170 pages worth of it, the rest of the 335-page book consisting of a few select translations of his work. The translations themselves are a wonderful thing to have, but the first part of the book is a little unsatisfying, that is, it's a good introduction but I felt like some points deserved to be expanded. Furthermore, the author's words denote an infatuation with Terayama Shuji's work and persona and yet they're a little too academic and dispassionate (which would've made for a more interesting reading experience, but this is only a personal preference and it's completely understandable). However, the book is an easy read, informative enough and well researched. It also contains a few photographic reproductions which help the reader invision the often surreal and visually imaginative world conceived by Terayama. "Unspeakable acts" pretty much accomplishes what it sets out to do, but at the same time it falls a little short of the expectations (the author herself mentions, at one point, the limitations of the book's scope). Perhaps a second volume would be a welcome addition.

Best book about Terayama live and plays avaliably in english.
Must have for all fans of post war japan