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The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea: Yukio Mishima
£4.70£7.60 (-38%)
A band of savage thirteen-year-old boys reject the adult world as illusory, hypocritical, and sentimental, and train themselves in a brutal callousness they call ‘objectivity’. When the mother of one of them begins an affair with a ship’s officer, he and his friends idealise the man at first; but it is not long before they conclude that he is in fact soft and romantic. They regard this disallusionment as an act of betrayal on his part – and the retribution is deliberate and horrifying.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (11 Mar. 1999), Vintage Classics |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 144 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0099284790 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0099284796 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 0.8 x 19.8 cm |
by Dave
The characters are all unrelatable, and yet their minds are exquisitely described. In particular the vulnerability, arrogance, and capriciousness of the 13 year old Noburo are so extreme as to feel alien. And then there is the grotesquely meek “follow the leader” philosophy of Noburo’s group… Credit to the author for painting this unbelievably dark tale in such a convincing way, for describing these absurd minds with clarity, depth, and psychological insight.
by Samuel
Mishima is a phenomenal writer. Crafts his characters perfectly. Has a lot of interesting things to say. But dear God is this a crap print, never seen so many typos in a book so short.
by James
Amazing story, with a disturbing insight into Yukio Mishima’s mindset. His use of poetic language and his eloquence is astonishing being his only fictional piece. I recommend reading about the author before reading, as it will help you draw many parallels between the book and his mindset (encroaching westernisation on japan).
4/5 typos which was a shame (random letters instead of full stops which really shows carelessness). If I could give separate scores I would rate the story 5 stars and give the transcription 3.
by David R
After a wonderful 8 days on holiday in Tokyo. I needed something to read on the 12 hour flight home and thought it would be appropriate to try some Japanese literature. I was browsing on Amazon and this was one of the few titles I had heard of. I was pleasantly surprised , it was actually very good. The novel is short, evocative and very moving. A previous reviewer mentions “Lord of the Flies” and I can see why. I cannot speak for the accuracy of the translation, but the English language version reads very well. If , like me, you never read any Japanese literature, it seems a good place to start.
by Dylan
Very peculier at times yet i definatly worth a read.
by Damis
I’m by no means in agreement with hardly anything that Yukio Mishima writes, however his descriptive power and the ways in which he uses surrounding environments to frame his messages is definitely something other authors could take note on.
The story essentially plays out in the heads of the participants but for me the ways in which the trains of thought go, and the ultimate intentions behind their actions to me show the mental state of the author which rightly was worrying. (Look up his death, Mishima Jiken). To some it may read as an interpretation of a post war life of men in the face of a Nietzschean idea of being an ubermesnch. To me it reads as a fragile masculinity complex mixed in with the culture shocks Japan was experiencing since the Meiji Restoration, Mishima was looking for some sort of manly realisation in this world. A sad story and look into his mind albeit a very well written and executed one.
by Chris McC
Japanese literature is almost as individually indifferent as Japanese culture and life. Fascinating but unwelcome to foreigners which makes it all the more appealing. Tradition, honour and integrity within a racially unique back drop. Fascinating
by ghostsecurity29
I had heard a lot about Mishima it was an interesting tale though the cat chapter was a bit rough and at the time of the morning I was listening to it made me a little sad before my long shift as it rolled around in my thoughts a lot that day