Volcano [Hardcover]

Shusaku Endo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1980

This novel is by the author of "The Sea and Poison", "Wonderful Fool", "Science", "When I Whistle", "The Samurai" and "Stained Glass Elegies".

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese (translation)

About the Author

Shusako Endo (1923–1996) is widely regarded as one of the greatest Japanese authors of the late 20th century, and the nation's leading Christian novelist. Born in 1923, he won many major literary awards and was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times. His novels, which have been translated into 28 languages, include Deep River, The Final Martyrs, A Life of Jesus, Scandal, Silence, and Wonderful Fool. Martin Scorsese's long-cherished film version of Silence is in production and due for release in 2013.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: Taplinger Publishing Company; 1st Thus edition (December 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800880323
• ISBN-13: 978-0800880323
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,058,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do not go gently into that good night, January 1, 2003

By 

Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Volcano (Hardcover)

This is a rather short novel about three different entities dealing with their retiring years. One of the entities is the director of a provencial Japanese weather station who is the local expert on a dormant volcano. Another is an apostate Catholic Priest who senses that his life ceased its' meaning when he ceased his calling. The last entity is the volcano itself. Although we don't sense a personality to the volcano, it is a metaphor to the other two; is there life left in it or has it spent all it had already.

There is a good deal of reflection by the two human characters about their lives. The director discovers that his obsession with the volcano cost him the love of his family. The apostate priest is "tolerated" in his declining years. He is obsessed with proving his theory that Japanese culture is incompatable with Christianity. He bases this on his theory that Japanese do not sense guilt as Western cultures do. Thus Christ's death on the cross loses its' meaning.

We read on in hopes for an epiphany of sorts that would allow the two men to resurrect their lives. In the end we are left only wondering about the future of one of the entities.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Volcano in Man's Heart, April 4, 2011

By 

mbjp - See all my reviews

This review is from: Volcano (Paperback)

This book centers around four main characters and their relationship to a supposedly inactive volcano named Akadake. The volcano takes on a personality of its own, and it seems that it is a picture of a sin and evil. Father Sato, one of the characters in the book, says that "We can think of Akadake as a symbol of the thing that we call sin." (168) Even though people in the story may not realize it, or may not want to realize it, the volcano is actually active. In the same way, even though a person may not realize it, or may not want to realize it, the human heart is corrupt.

Jinpei Suda, who just retired from the Weather Bureau, is an expert on Akadake. He has been convinced that it is no longer active based on previous studies and his own work during his career. He has built up a reputation in his field based on Akadake. However, shortly after his retirement his life goes into a tailspin- his health, his family, and perhaps even his long-held theories on Akadake are about to go out the window. Just as Suda's life is revealed for what it really is, the volcano gives signs that it is not inactive.

Durand is a bitter and cynical excommunicated priest who is convinced that the people of Japan cannot understand the concept of sin and redemption. He is also convinced that Akadake will erupt and destroy a retreat that Father Sato is building on the volcano. He spends time living in a hospital room due to poor health (Suda ends up in the room next to Durand).

City Councilman Aiba seeks Suda's expertise on the volcano because he wants to build a lavish hotel on it. He wants assurance that Akadake is indeed no longer active so he can go on with his business.

Father Sato is a Catholic priest who has a dream to build a retreat on Akadake. He wants to continue on with his projects and says that Akadake "has changed to an utterly peaceful mountain." (168) He visits the excommunicated priest Durand in the hospital once in a while because he feels that he has to, but in reality he doesn't want to be bothered with people like Durand.

Volcano isn't the most enjoyable book that Endo has written. There are no endearing characters in it. It is not unusual for Endo's novels to be a little dark and this is definitely one of them. Endo is an excellent writer, however. He did his research on volcanoes for this one; it is said that he even had himself lowered by helicopter into one.