What do you think?
Rate this book
??? ????
??? ??????? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ?????? (??????)? ????????? ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??? ???? ???????? ????????: ??????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ???????? ????????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ??????: ?? ?????? ???????? ((?????????)) ???????? ?????????? ???????? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ???? ?????.
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 1950
409 people are currently reading
10.4k people want to read
About the author
Yukio Mishima
458?books8,706?followersYukio Mishima (三島 由紀夫) was born in Tokyo in 1925. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University’s School of Jurisprudence in 1947. His first published book, The Forest in Full Bloom, appeared in 1944 and he established himself as a major author with Confessions of a Mask (1949). From then until his death he continued to publish novels, short stories, and plays each year. His crowning achievement, the Sea of Fertility tetralogy—which contains the novels Spring Snow (1969), Runaway Horses (1969), The Temple of Dawn (1970), and The Decay of the Angel (1971)—is considered one of the definitive works of twentieth-century Japanese fiction. In 1970, at the age of forty-five and the day after completing the last novel in the Fertility series, Mishima committed seppuku (ritual suicide)—a spectacular death that attracted worldwide attention.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 819 reviews
December 28, 2019
??te geldi, Japon edebiyat?n?n ?ah?!
Mi?ima ile ilgili ?ok ?nemli bir ?eyi en ba?ta, alt?n? ?izerek belirtmem gerekiyor: Bir Mi?ima eseri (ne olursa olsun) ihtiva etti?i kurmaca yap?n?n güzelli?ini ta??yor oldu?u gibi asl?nda ?ok daha büyük bir resmin de tamamlay?c? par?as? olma ?zelli?indedir. Hik?yelerin ?zelinde edebi yap? ?ok farkl? ?ekillerde tart???labilir ama hi?bir ?ey Mi?ima’n?n benzersiz dü?ünme ?ekline tan?k olmak ve ?zgün/?zgür fikirlerinin ?züne yakla?ma f?rsat? bulmaktan daha güzel ve ?nemli olamaz. Bu yüzden ben her eserini tamamlay?c? bir par?a olarak ele almay? tercih ediyorum.
Mi?ima ‘A?ka Susam??’? Frans?z yazar Fran?ois Mauriac’?n 1925’te yay?mlad??? ‘A?k ??lü’ isimli eserini okuduktan sonra; ondan esinlenerek yazm??. Mauriac, ülkemizde ?lkyaz Yay?nevi taraf?ndan bas?lan bu roman?nda bir baba ve o?lun ayn? kad?na duyduklar? saplant?l? a?k? konu alarak, arzunun kar???k do?as? ve ahlak?n ?znel yap?s?n? anlatmay? ?al??m??. Bu romandan etkilenen Mi?ima ayn? zamanda ‘A?k ??lü’ndeki re?ete metaforuna ‘A?ka Susam??’?n bir yerinde apa??k bir ?ekilde yer vererek Mauriac’a sayg? duru?unda da bulunmu?.
Peki ‘A?ka Susam??’ ne anlat?yor diye sorarsan?z, konusu k?saca ??yle: Kocas?n? tifodan kaybeden k?skan? ve aldat?lm?? Etsuko, kay?npederinin davetine icabetten ?lmü? kocas?n?n ailesinin evine ta??n?r. Burada e?ini seneler evvel kaybetmi? olan kay?npederi, ?len kocas?n?n karde?leri ve onlar?n e?leriyle ya?amaya ba?layan Etsuko, bir süre sonra kay?npederinin metresi olur. Otomatik ve ?ok s?radanm???as?na gelinlikten metresli?e ge?en Etsuko asl?nda evde yard?mc? olarak ?al??an gen? Saburo’ya kar?? ?iddetini kontrol edemedi?i baz? hisler beslemeye ba?lam??t?r. Arzu, k?skan?l?k, ?efkat gibi ?ok gü?lü duygular?n i?ini doldurdu?u bir a?k hali i?erisindedir. Saburo s?n?fsal durumunun al?akl???na ra?men Etsuko’nun zay?f karn?na d?nü?ür. ?stelik Etsuko’nun ?ok karma??k zihinsel devinimlerine kar??t Saburo hayat? dürtüsel bir ?ekilde ya?ama gerili?ine(!) sahiptir. Tüm bu karma??k insan ili?kileri a??, Etsuko’nun olaylar? ?ok ilgin? ve tart??mal? bir sona ta??mas? ad?na ?zenli ve al???lmad?k bir yazarl?k yetene?iyle ?rülmü?.
Mi?ima 1944 senesinden itibaren aktif olarak yaz?yor. ?lk y?llarda k?sa romanlar, hik?yeler ve oyunlar kaleme al?yor. Bu eserleri Türk?ede okuyamad???m?z gibi henüz ?ngilizceye de ?evrilmediklerinden sadece Japonca isimlerinden haberdar?z. Ancak yazar?n otobiyografik anlat?s? ‘Bir Maskenin ?tiraflar?’ 1949 senesinde yay?mlan?nca ?ok dikkat ?ekiyor ve Mi?ima yazarl???n?n be?inci senesinde onuncu eseriyle bir ba?yap?ta imza atarak, üne kazan?yor. (Bu roman?n ?ngilizcedeki yolculu?u ise 9 sene sonra 1958’de ?evrilmesiyle ba?layacak. Fakat bundan ?nce 1954’te yazaca?? ‘Dalgalar?n Sesi’ ?evrilmi? olacak.) ‘Bir Maskenin ?tiraflar?’ndan sonra Mi?ima iki hik?ye ve bir oyun daha kaleme ald?ktan sonra ‘A?ka Susam??’? 1950’de yay?ml?yor. ‘A?ka Susam??’, ‘Bir Maskenin ?tiraflar?’ndan sonra Japonya’da ilgi g?ren ikinci eseri oluyor. (Bu roman?n ?ngilizcedeki yolculu?u, ?evrilen onuncu Mi?ima roman? olarak ancak 1969’da yolculu?una ba?l?yor.) Bir süre sonra ‘A?ka Susam??’ Mi?ima’n?n sonradan yay?mlad??? eserlerinin de etkisiyle geriye d?nülüp okunan bir roman haline geliyor. B?ylelikle ??kt??? d?nemkinden daha büyük sükseyi seneler sonra yap?yor. 1966’da Koreyoshi Kurahara ‘Ai no Kawaki’ isimli, kitapla ayn? adl? bir film uyarlamas?na imza atarak hik?yeyi sinemaya ta??yor. Bu filmin sansasyonel etkisi de kitab?n i?eri?inin ayr?ca tart???lmas?na sebep oluyor.
‘A?ka Susam??’?n ?ngilizceye ?evrildi?i 1969’dan sonra eser hakk?nda s?ylenenlere bakt???m?zda bir ?a?k?nl?k oldu?unu g?rüyoruz. Bat?l? ele?tirmenler Etsuko karakterini nereye oturtacaklar?n? bilemiyorlar. S?k s?k D.H.Lawrence ad?n?n ge?iriyorlar. Fakat Lawrence’?n eserlerindeki Viktoryen ahlaka kar?? ?iddetli kar?? koyu? ve ?zgür a?k lokalinde Mi?ima’y? konu?mak ?ok eksik bir analizin ortaya ??kmas?na sebep oluyor. Zira Mi?ima ?zgür a?k?n ?tesinde ?lümle kurdu?u kanl? ili?ki sebebiyle Batailleci bir yakla??mla de?erlendirilmeye ba?lan?yor. Fakat Bataille bu senelerde okunmas? sa?l?kl? bulunan yazarlardan biri de?il. ?o?u eseri o d?nem yasakl?. Felsefi taraf? kabul edilmiyor, ciddiye al?nm?yor. Bataille’nin üzerindeki sansür ?lümünden seneler sonra Foulcault taraf?ndan kald?r?lacak, ama daha oraya var. Haliyle Mi?ima’n?n anla??lma konusunda s?k?nt?lar ya?att???n? g?rüyoruz. Kimse ‘A?ka Susam??’?n kad?n karakteri Etsuko’yu anlam?yor.
Buradan sonras? kitab? okumu? okurlar i?indir. Spoiler i?erir.
Mi?ima’n?n ?evirilerde g?rüldü?ü üzere dille ili?kisi her daim anlatt??? konunun gerisindedir. Onu ?zel yapan ?ey nas?l anlatt??? de?il, anlatt??? ?eyin ?züdür. Bütün romanlar?nda klasik bir dil kullan?m? vard?r. (Belki Japoncas?nda durum farkl?d?r, bilmiyorum.) Mi?ima’n?n g?rmezden gelinemeyecek ‘garip’ hayat?, eserlerini tamamen ona ba?l? k?lm??t?r. O yüzden yine onun dü?ünsel taraf?ndan beslenmek en do?rusudur. ‘A?ka Susam??’ kronolojik olmayan bir kurguya sahip: Etsuko’nun zihninde geriye do?ru yolculuklar, temasal atlamalar ve karakterlerin anlat?m?nda ya?anan ü?üncü tekil ge?i?ler karma??k say?lamayacak bir ?rgüye aitken; g?rkemli trajik sona hak etti?i ortam? sa?lama amac?yla kaleme al?nm?? gibi t?nl?yor. Mi?ima’n?n yaratt??? Etsuko tam olarak yazar?n zihinsel girdab?n?n bir ürünüyken geri kalan karakterler son derece basittir. Saburo kar??s?nda Etsuko’nun i?ine dü?tü?ü varsay?mlar ve hiddet bunu ?ok güzel g?stermektedir. Haliyle Mi?ima her karakteri ayr? dü?ünme gayesini ortadan kald?rarak tüm dikkatin Etsuko’ya verilmesini sa?lam??t?r. Di?er yandan sonradan di?er eserlerinde de g?rebilece?imiz kabul edilemez duygular bu eserde c?mert?e kendilerine yer bulmu?tur: Onu aldatt??? i?in kocas?n?n ?lümünü istemesi, kocas? tifo olmas?na ra?men onu ?pmekten korkmamas?, kay?npederiyle i?inde oldu?u anormal seksüel ili?ki, kü?ük ?ocu?u kar?ncalar? ?ldürürken g?rmesi üzerine ona duydu?u sempati, dini t?ren s?ras?nda Saburo’ya saplad??? t?rnaklar?n ve kan?n onda yaratt??? haz, Miyo ile Saburo’nun aras?nda olmas?n? bekledi?i ?ehvetli a?k?n onda yarataca??na inand??? ac?ya olan istenci, en sonda kendini teslim etmemesi ve ?ldürme güdüsüne tutunmas?... Bunlar zor anla??l?r duygular. Ah Mi?ima, benzersizsin. Bu pek tan?k olmad???m?z karakter ?zellikleriyle yap?salc? bir kurmacan?n derdine de?il, tamamen Mi?ima’n?n ayr?ks? yaz?n?n derdine tan?k oluyoruz.
Mi?ima konu?malar?nda da bir konunun sürekli alt?n? ?izerdi: Japon insan?n?n dünya taraf?ndan alg?lanamayacak iki ?zelli?i ayn? potada eritmesi onun i?in inan?lmaz ?ekici bir kaynakt?: Zarafet ve vah?et. Bu ikisi aras?nda organik bir ba? oldu?unu dü?ünen Mi?ima, bunu toplumsal ?rneklerle a??klad??? gibi romanlar?nda her daim karakterinin projeksiyonunda g?stermi?tir. Etsuko da tüm Mi?ima karakterleri gibi son derece zarif ama vah?ete yatk?nl??? olan birisidir. Mi?ima’n?n eserlerinde bu ikilik farkl? yüzlerde ortaya ??kar. ‘Denizi Yitiren Denizci’de Noburo’da, ‘??lenden Sonra’da bir ba?ka kad?n karakter Kazu’da; ‘Patriotism’ de kocas?n?n intihar eylemine yard?mc? kad?nda g?rünür. ‘Bir Maskenin ?triraflar?’nda yazar?n ergenli?inde bu benzersiz dü?üncenin meydana ??kma ger?ekli?i izlenir. Kusursuz zarafet beraberinde sadece ?lümün tamamlayabilece?i ruhani bir durumu olu?turmaktad?r, bu farkl? ?ekillerde ele al?n?r. Bu yüzden ‘A?ka Susam??’?n s?n?fsal okumas?n? gereksiz buluyorum. ?ünkü Mi?ima hi?bir zaman ekonomik s?n?flara ?nem vermemi?tir. Onun i?in ?nemli askeri ba?l?l??a olan Tokugavac? bir ?zlemin getirdi?i ayr??t?rmalard?r. O yüzden burada da ?lümü hak etti?ine inand??? t?rensel bir yap?n?n i?ine yerle?tirir. ??len s?ras?nda kusursuz bedenleriyle, senkron halinde ibadet eden; s?radan kusursuzluk hak etti?ini alacakt?r; vah?i ve zarif olandan. ‘Alt?n K??k Tap?na??’n? yok eden s?radan ak?l Mizoguchi gelir ak?llara, yok eden olarak. Yok edilen ise kusursuz ve zarif olan tap?naktan ba?kas? de?ildir. Burada ise yok eden konumunda Etsuko vard?r. Fakat Etsuko tüm ba?lam?yla a?ka susam??t?r. Onun var olmas?n? sa?layan ana etken tek ba??na a?kt?r. ???k olunan ?znenin yok edilmesi ise o saplant?l? durumu sonland?racakt?r. Annesinin a????n? ?ldüren Noburo, tap?na?? yok eden Mizoguchi, evlili?ini mahveden Kazu, a????n? ?ldüren Etsuko… Her romanda farkl? bir ?ekilde tekrar eden t?rensel bir ?ldürme sekans? bir amaca hizmet etmektedir yani.
D?nüp dola??p Mi?ima’n?n kendisine var?yoruz. Psikanalitik okuman?n sonu? vermedi?i tüm bu anlat?larda bir tutarl?l?k net bir ?ekilde g?rülmesine ra?men, anla??lmas? olduk?a gü?tür. Belki bunun i?in Mi?ima’n?n ‘Hagakure Samuray?n Yolu ?lümdür’ isimli Mi?ima kitab?n? okumak laz?m. Bu metin de ‘Patriotism’ de kurmacayla ortaya koydu?u o ilahi t?ren anlay???n?n zeminini besleyen entelektüel dü?ünceler okunur. Son derece kültürlü olan Mi?ima ilk gen?li?inden itibaren istikrarla gü?lendirdi?i dü?üncelerinden bir ?ey kaybetmemi?; aksine onlar?n sa?lamas?n? yapmay? ba?arm??t?r. Bu yüzden Kazu gibi Etsuko da sadece bir roman karakteri olmakla kalmaz; asl?nda Mi?ima’n?n askerlerinden birisidir. Bu nedenle aptal eden cinayeti kanla kutsanm?? ve ilkeye hizmet etmi?tir.
Daha ?ok ?ey yaz?l?r. Bereket Denizi D?rtlemesine girilerek yukar?da k?saca bahsetti?im ?eyler damar damar derinle?tirilebilir. Fakat gr’in bir yaz? s?n?r? var. Ali Volkan Erdemir’e de?inmeden ge?meyeyim. ‘Alt?n K??k Tap?na??’nda da muhte?em bir ?eviriye imza atm??t?. Burada da ayn?s?na imza atm??. Ke?ke Murakami ?evirmeyi b?rak?p, tüm Mi?ima’lar? ?evirse. Muhtac?z asl?nda buna.
Henüz Mi?ima okumam?? okur, senin de bir yerlerde oldu?unu biliyorum. Ne duruyorsun? Hemen git ‘Bir Maskenin ?tiraflar?’, ‘Denizi Yitiren Denizci’ ve ‘A?ka Susam??’? al ve okumaya ba?la. Okuyanlar zaten devam?n? getirecektir. Herkese tavsiye ederim.
?yi okumalar.
Mi?ima ile ilgili ?ok ?nemli bir ?eyi en ba?ta, alt?n? ?izerek belirtmem gerekiyor: Bir Mi?ima eseri (ne olursa olsun) ihtiva etti?i kurmaca yap?n?n güzelli?ini ta??yor oldu?u gibi asl?nda ?ok daha büyük bir resmin de tamamlay?c? par?as? olma ?zelli?indedir. Hik?yelerin ?zelinde edebi yap? ?ok farkl? ?ekillerde tart???labilir ama hi?bir ?ey Mi?ima’n?n benzersiz dü?ünme ?ekline tan?k olmak ve ?zgün/?zgür fikirlerinin ?züne yakla?ma f?rsat? bulmaktan daha güzel ve ?nemli olamaz. Bu yüzden ben her eserini tamamlay?c? bir par?a olarak ele almay? tercih ediyorum.
Mi?ima ‘A?ka Susam??’? Frans?z yazar Fran?ois Mauriac’?n 1925’te yay?mlad??? ‘A?k ??lü’ isimli eserini okuduktan sonra; ondan esinlenerek yazm??. Mauriac, ülkemizde ?lkyaz Yay?nevi taraf?ndan bas?lan bu roman?nda bir baba ve o?lun ayn? kad?na duyduklar? saplant?l? a?k? konu alarak, arzunun kar???k do?as? ve ahlak?n ?znel yap?s?n? anlatmay? ?al??m??. Bu romandan etkilenen Mi?ima ayn? zamanda ‘A?k ??lü’ndeki re?ete metaforuna ‘A?ka Susam??’?n bir yerinde apa??k bir ?ekilde yer vererek Mauriac’a sayg? duru?unda da bulunmu?.
Peki ‘A?ka Susam??’ ne anlat?yor diye sorarsan?z, konusu k?saca ??yle: Kocas?n? tifodan kaybeden k?skan? ve aldat?lm?? Etsuko, kay?npederinin davetine icabetten ?lmü? kocas?n?n ailesinin evine ta??n?r. Burada e?ini seneler evvel kaybetmi? olan kay?npederi, ?len kocas?n?n karde?leri ve onlar?n e?leriyle ya?amaya ba?layan Etsuko, bir süre sonra kay?npederinin metresi olur. Otomatik ve ?ok s?radanm???as?na gelinlikten metresli?e ge?en Etsuko asl?nda evde yard?mc? olarak ?al??an gen? Saburo’ya kar?? ?iddetini kontrol edemedi?i baz? hisler beslemeye ba?lam??t?r. Arzu, k?skan?l?k, ?efkat gibi ?ok gü?lü duygular?n i?ini doldurdu?u bir a?k hali i?erisindedir. Saburo s?n?fsal durumunun al?akl???na ra?men Etsuko’nun zay?f karn?na d?nü?ür. ?stelik Etsuko’nun ?ok karma??k zihinsel devinimlerine kar??t Saburo hayat? dürtüsel bir ?ekilde ya?ama gerili?ine(!) sahiptir. Tüm bu karma??k insan ili?kileri a??, Etsuko’nun olaylar? ?ok ilgin? ve tart??mal? bir sona ta??mas? ad?na ?zenli ve al???lmad?k bir yazarl?k yetene?iyle ?rülmü?.
Mi?ima 1944 senesinden itibaren aktif olarak yaz?yor. ?lk y?llarda k?sa romanlar, hik?yeler ve oyunlar kaleme al?yor. Bu eserleri Türk?ede okuyamad???m?z gibi henüz ?ngilizceye de ?evrilmediklerinden sadece Japonca isimlerinden haberdar?z. Ancak yazar?n otobiyografik anlat?s? ‘Bir Maskenin ?tiraflar?’ 1949 senesinde yay?mlan?nca ?ok dikkat ?ekiyor ve Mi?ima yazarl???n?n be?inci senesinde onuncu eseriyle bir ba?yap?ta imza atarak, üne kazan?yor. (Bu roman?n ?ngilizcedeki yolculu?u ise 9 sene sonra 1958’de ?evrilmesiyle ba?layacak. Fakat bundan ?nce 1954’te yazaca?? ‘Dalgalar?n Sesi’ ?evrilmi? olacak.) ‘Bir Maskenin ?tiraflar?’ndan sonra Mi?ima iki hik?ye ve bir oyun daha kaleme ald?ktan sonra ‘A?ka Susam??’? 1950’de yay?ml?yor. ‘A?ka Susam??’, ‘Bir Maskenin ?tiraflar?’ndan sonra Japonya’da ilgi g?ren ikinci eseri oluyor. (Bu roman?n ?ngilizcedeki yolculu?u, ?evrilen onuncu Mi?ima roman? olarak ancak 1969’da yolculu?una ba?l?yor.) Bir süre sonra ‘A?ka Susam??’ Mi?ima’n?n sonradan yay?mlad??? eserlerinin de etkisiyle geriye d?nülüp okunan bir roman haline geliyor. B?ylelikle ??kt??? d?nemkinden daha büyük sükseyi seneler sonra yap?yor. 1966’da Koreyoshi Kurahara ‘Ai no Kawaki’ isimli, kitapla ayn? adl? bir film uyarlamas?na imza atarak hik?yeyi sinemaya ta??yor. Bu filmin sansasyonel etkisi de kitab?n i?eri?inin ayr?ca tart???lmas?na sebep oluyor.
‘A?ka Susam??’?n ?ngilizceye ?evrildi?i 1969’dan sonra eser hakk?nda s?ylenenlere bakt???m?zda bir ?a?k?nl?k oldu?unu g?rüyoruz. Bat?l? ele?tirmenler Etsuko karakterini nereye oturtacaklar?n? bilemiyorlar. S?k s?k D.H.Lawrence ad?n?n ge?iriyorlar. Fakat Lawrence’?n eserlerindeki Viktoryen ahlaka kar?? ?iddetli kar?? koyu? ve ?zgür a?k lokalinde Mi?ima’y? konu?mak ?ok eksik bir analizin ortaya ??kmas?na sebep oluyor. Zira Mi?ima ?zgür a?k?n ?tesinde ?lümle kurdu?u kanl? ili?ki sebebiyle Batailleci bir yakla??mla de?erlendirilmeye ba?lan?yor. Fakat Bataille bu senelerde okunmas? sa?l?kl? bulunan yazarlardan biri de?il. ?o?u eseri o d?nem yasakl?. Felsefi taraf? kabul edilmiyor, ciddiye al?nm?yor. Bataille’nin üzerindeki sansür ?lümünden seneler sonra Foulcault taraf?ndan kald?r?lacak, ama daha oraya var. Haliyle Mi?ima’n?n anla??lma konusunda s?k?nt?lar ya?att???n? g?rüyoruz. Kimse ‘A?ka Susam??’?n kad?n karakteri Etsuko’yu anlam?yor.
Buradan sonras? kitab? okumu? okurlar i?indir. Spoiler i?erir.
Mi?ima’n?n ?evirilerde g?rüldü?ü üzere dille ili?kisi her daim anlatt??? konunun gerisindedir. Onu ?zel yapan ?ey nas?l anlatt??? de?il, anlatt??? ?eyin ?züdür. Bütün romanlar?nda klasik bir dil kullan?m? vard?r. (Belki Japoncas?nda durum farkl?d?r, bilmiyorum.) Mi?ima’n?n g?rmezden gelinemeyecek ‘garip’ hayat?, eserlerini tamamen ona ba?l? k?lm??t?r. O yüzden yine onun dü?ünsel taraf?ndan beslenmek en do?rusudur. ‘A?ka Susam??’ kronolojik olmayan bir kurguya sahip: Etsuko’nun zihninde geriye do?ru yolculuklar, temasal atlamalar ve karakterlerin anlat?m?nda ya?anan ü?üncü tekil ge?i?ler karma??k say?lamayacak bir ?rgüye aitken; g?rkemli trajik sona hak etti?i ortam? sa?lama amac?yla kaleme al?nm?? gibi t?nl?yor. Mi?ima’n?n yaratt??? Etsuko tam olarak yazar?n zihinsel girdab?n?n bir ürünüyken geri kalan karakterler son derece basittir. Saburo kar??s?nda Etsuko’nun i?ine dü?tü?ü varsay?mlar ve hiddet bunu ?ok güzel g?stermektedir. Haliyle Mi?ima her karakteri ayr? dü?ünme gayesini ortadan kald?rarak tüm dikkatin Etsuko’ya verilmesini sa?lam??t?r. Di?er yandan sonradan di?er eserlerinde de g?rebilece?imiz kabul edilemez duygular bu eserde c?mert?e kendilerine yer bulmu?tur: Onu aldatt??? i?in kocas?n?n ?lümünü istemesi, kocas? tifo olmas?na ra?men onu ?pmekten korkmamas?, kay?npederiyle i?inde oldu?u anormal seksüel ili?ki, kü?ük ?ocu?u kar?ncalar? ?ldürürken g?rmesi üzerine ona duydu?u sempati, dini t?ren s?ras?nda Saburo’ya saplad??? t?rnaklar?n ve kan?n onda yaratt??? haz, Miyo ile Saburo’nun aras?nda olmas?n? bekledi?i ?ehvetli a?k?n onda yarataca??na inand??? ac?ya olan istenci, en sonda kendini teslim etmemesi ve ?ldürme güdüsüne tutunmas?... Bunlar zor anla??l?r duygular. Ah Mi?ima, benzersizsin. Bu pek tan?k olmad???m?z karakter ?zellikleriyle yap?salc? bir kurmacan?n derdine de?il, tamamen Mi?ima’n?n ayr?ks? yaz?n?n derdine tan?k oluyoruz.
Mi?ima konu?malar?nda da bir konunun sürekli alt?n? ?izerdi: Japon insan?n?n dünya taraf?ndan alg?lanamayacak iki ?zelli?i ayn? potada eritmesi onun i?in inan?lmaz ?ekici bir kaynakt?: Zarafet ve vah?et. Bu ikisi aras?nda organik bir ba? oldu?unu dü?ünen Mi?ima, bunu toplumsal ?rneklerle a??klad??? gibi romanlar?nda her daim karakterinin projeksiyonunda g?stermi?tir. Etsuko da tüm Mi?ima karakterleri gibi son derece zarif ama vah?ete yatk?nl??? olan birisidir. Mi?ima’n?n eserlerinde bu ikilik farkl? yüzlerde ortaya ??kar. ‘Denizi Yitiren Denizci’de Noburo’da, ‘??lenden Sonra’da bir ba?ka kad?n karakter Kazu’da; ‘Patriotism’ de kocas?n?n intihar eylemine yard?mc? kad?nda g?rünür. ‘Bir Maskenin ?triraflar?’nda yazar?n ergenli?inde bu benzersiz dü?üncenin meydana ??kma ger?ekli?i izlenir. Kusursuz zarafet beraberinde sadece ?lümün tamamlayabilece?i ruhani bir durumu olu?turmaktad?r, bu farkl? ?ekillerde ele al?n?r. Bu yüzden ‘A?ka Susam??’?n s?n?fsal okumas?n? gereksiz buluyorum. ?ünkü Mi?ima hi?bir zaman ekonomik s?n?flara ?nem vermemi?tir. Onun i?in ?nemli askeri ba?l?l??a olan Tokugavac? bir ?zlemin getirdi?i ayr??t?rmalard?r. O yüzden burada da ?lümü hak etti?ine inand??? t?rensel bir yap?n?n i?ine yerle?tirir. ??len s?ras?nda kusursuz bedenleriyle, senkron halinde ibadet eden; s?radan kusursuzluk hak etti?ini alacakt?r; vah?i ve zarif olandan. ‘Alt?n K??k Tap?na??’n? yok eden s?radan ak?l Mizoguchi gelir ak?llara, yok eden olarak. Yok edilen ise kusursuz ve zarif olan tap?naktan ba?kas? de?ildir. Burada ise yok eden konumunda Etsuko vard?r. Fakat Etsuko tüm ba?lam?yla a?ka susam??t?r. Onun var olmas?n? sa?layan ana etken tek ba??na a?kt?r. ???k olunan ?znenin yok edilmesi ise o saplant?l? durumu sonland?racakt?r. Annesinin a????n? ?ldüren Noburo, tap?na?? yok eden Mizoguchi, evlili?ini mahveden Kazu, a????n? ?ldüren Etsuko… Her romanda farkl? bir ?ekilde tekrar eden t?rensel bir ?ldürme sekans? bir amaca hizmet etmektedir yani.
D?nüp dola??p Mi?ima’n?n kendisine var?yoruz. Psikanalitik okuman?n sonu? vermedi?i tüm bu anlat?larda bir tutarl?l?k net bir ?ekilde g?rülmesine ra?men, anla??lmas? olduk?a gü?tür. Belki bunun i?in Mi?ima’n?n ‘Hagakure Samuray?n Yolu ?lümdür’ isimli Mi?ima kitab?n? okumak laz?m. Bu metin de ‘Patriotism’ de kurmacayla ortaya koydu?u o ilahi t?ren anlay???n?n zeminini besleyen entelektüel dü?ünceler okunur. Son derece kültürlü olan Mi?ima ilk gen?li?inden itibaren istikrarla gü?lendirdi?i dü?üncelerinden bir ?ey kaybetmemi?; aksine onlar?n sa?lamas?n? yapmay? ba?arm??t?r. Bu yüzden Kazu gibi Etsuko da sadece bir roman karakteri olmakla kalmaz; asl?nda Mi?ima’n?n askerlerinden birisidir. Bu nedenle aptal eden cinayeti kanla kutsanm?? ve ilkeye hizmet etmi?tir.
Daha ?ok ?ey yaz?l?r. Bereket Denizi D?rtlemesine girilerek yukar?da k?saca bahsetti?im ?eyler damar damar derinle?tirilebilir. Fakat gr’in bir yaz? s?n?r? var. Ali Volkan Erdemir’e de?inmeden ge?meyeyim. ‘Alt?n K??k Tap?na??’nda da muhte?em bir ?eviriye imza atm??t?. Burada da ayn?s?na imza atm??. Ke?ke Murakami ?evirmeyi b?rak?p, tüm Mi?ima’lar? ?evirse. Muhtac?z asl?nda buna.
Henüz Mi?ima okumam?? okur, senin de bir yerlerde oldu?unu biliyorum. Ne duruyorsun? Hemen git ‘Bir Maskenin ?tiraflar?’, ‘Denizi Yitiren Denizci’ ve ‘A?ka Susam??’? al ve okumaya ba?la. Okuyanlar zaten devam?n? getirecektir. Herkese tavsiye ederim.
?yi okumalar.
July 26, 2016
A pair of woollen socks! The solitary blue- brown image lingered in my pathetic thoughts, weeks after I had closed down the book. Verses had angrily left me, words refused to find a refuge within my wits and leisurely Mishima’s manuscript had melted into an obscure viscosity leaving behind only the recurring images of a mystified Etsuko and the pair of socks. For weeks I lived with that graphic, gaudily enhancing as the night darkened with every passing hour. How could a harmless pair of socks from Hankyu departmental store bring reckless audacity, such tenderness and then knit a violent despair? Could the diabolical nature of the socks stir up with the slightest tap of human emotions? Were those socks diabolical as the humans tend to become?
“What had given this courage? The thunder? The two pair of socks she had just purchased?”
Symbolism seizes the pivotal core plunging and deciphering a limitless world beyond human mediocrity. Given Mishima’s palpable affinity towards the art of Noh , the evident usage of significant cryptograms of socks, typhoid, the lion mask , the hospital ward and the mattock among the others , spells every intricate nuances of a capricious face veiled behind a stoic Noh mask. Mishima’s astute narration on the premise of a reluctant heart and cataclysmic love flows into a theatrical Noh prism where the ghosts of the past erect skeletons in the present imprisoning the desires of a heart in a ruthless world.
“In the moment a captive lion steps out of his cage, he possesses a wider worlds than the lion who has known only the worlds. While he was in captivity, there were only two worlds to him- the world of the cage and the world outside the cage. Now he is free. He roars. He attacks people, eats them. He is not satisfied for there is no third world that is neither the world of the cage nor the world outside the cage.”
A captured heart alien to the world of benevolent love; its reception caged behind the daunting fetters of loneliness and alienation. The burdened heart roars for emancipation from seclusion. The longing to love, the autonomy to love consumed in powerlessness to love. The heart perplexed in a world of duplicity and social repression succumbs to lunacy of obsession and vengeance for it does not know the sincerity of love , as there is no ‘third world’ beyond the emptiness of love, apart from death. Etsuko in her passivity, through her fatal love becomes a destructive yet pitiable figure hampered by her own quest against rising trepidations over her covetousness and its subsequent demise. Mishima elucidates on Etsuko’s temperament by articulating, “she found in the emptiness of her hopes the purest of meanings”
A widow of a philanderer husband resides with her lascivious father-in-law in the grimy countryside. Yakichi Sugimoto’s conflicted household was a laborious abode of repulsive absurdities. The prejudices of Chieko and Kensuske floated among the wooden interiors of the household, conjectures of biased moralities hovering over the Sugimoto’s budding illicit associations with Etsuko mirrored through Etsuko’s orphaned existence, her gratification for such dire circumstances vocalized through anaesthetizing her thoughts. Etsuko’s infatuation for Saburo resurrected the primitive naivety previously misplaced in a frigid matrimony. The abundance of love and the intensity of a genuine sexual pleasure derived from the uttered enthusiasm for Saburo fetched a reprieving life-force. Even so, the reception for deliverance was cremated by feverish ravings of covetousness and shadows of Etsuko’s disaffections and guilt.
“A feeling of liberation should contain a bracing feeling of negation, in which liberation itself is not agitated.”
The protracted abandonment wallowing in the niggling emptiness dominated Estuko’s overwhelming arrogance enslaving her to the creativity of unquenchable passion and the eventual annihilation. The freedom to experience the power of her sexuality cowed to the socially repressive environment tightening Etsuko inescapability from the ongoing tussle of implausible passion v/s the banality of social mores and life as a whole. The tantalizing sight of a half-naked Saburo during the dance at the Autumn Festival of the Hachiman Shrine fiercely clashed her morality into vehemence of her sexuality. Mishima highlights the quintessence of a woman’s sexuality in a communally despotic culture and the acerbic reconstruction of its perversion of a toxic love. ‘Thirst’ develops into a symbolic gesticulation, hunger for implacable desires. Love becomes the timeless nectar guzzled ravenously by a vacant parched heart, incurable, suffocating the vagueness of pain and pleasure.
“ The word 'love' had no proper place.”
Etsuko was the fated romantic hero in a world where love was misplaced behind the countless agonies, fatigued by the dilemmas of egotistical hunger trapped between the insatiable nature of vengeance and obsession. ; the authentic self polluted by grotesque incongruity. Is love diabolical then? Anger, sorrow, fear, joy; each flourishing sentiment has its eminence on the arousing empathetic dais. Love, however clandestinely incarnates itself baffling the psychosomatic rationalities. The solitary heartfelt emotion coquettishly fleets teasing the human psyche with aspiring gentleness to reincarnate into diversified oblique sentimentalities. Love had metamorphosed into a dreadful entity for Etsuko , love had no proper place then , only proper death.
The pair of socks is surely not diabolical after all. For not only did they bring back free flowing verses, but the hued woollen marvels also kept my feet warm while I typed the above words.
** [ the photographic illustrations are taken from the 1967 movie adaptation of the novel. ‘Ai no Kawaki’starring the lovely Ruriko Asako ]**
October 11, 2023
Thirst for Love, one of Yukio Mishima’s early novels, is a compelling exploration of the destructive nature of possessive/obsessive love. Published shortly after , the novel centres on Etsuko, a young widow who finds herself entangled in emotionally complex relationships while living with her late husband’s family.
Etsuko is a multifaceted character, embodying another of Mishima’s “masks.” She is caught in a tension between societal norms and her turbulent emotions—jealousy, romantic fantasies, and the inability to express or act upon them. This internal struggle manifests itself in suicidal ideations: “Her desire was close to that of the person who drowns himself; he does not necessarily covet death so much as what comes after the drowning—something different from what he had before, at the least a different world” (Kindle Loc.?1565). Etsuko can be seen as a literary descendant of , particularly in her complex relationship with forbidden love, beauty and death, a theme that Mishima will revisit throughout his career. also comes to mind.
Mishima’s prose is a blend of elegance and incisiveness. He captures the emotional states of his characters through flashes of insight that function almost like aphorisms. These are interspersed with superb descriptions (Tsukimi Festival in chap. 3), and poetic yet introspective passages that create a pervasive atmosphere of brooding melancholy and foreshadow the impending tragedy. The novel’s nuanced portrayal of Etsuko, coupled with its violent conclusion, left a lasting impact on me.
Etsuko is a multifaceted character, embodying another of Mishima’s “masks.” She is caught in a tension between societal norms and her turbulent emotions—jealousy, romantic fantasies, and the inability to express or act upon them. This internal struggle manifests itself in suicidal ideations: “Her desire was close to that of the person who drowns himself; he does not necessarily covet death so much as what comes after the drowning—something different from what he had before, at the least a different world” (Kindle Loc.?1565). Etsuko can be seen as a literary descendant of , particularly in her complex relationship with forbidden love, beauty and death, a theme that Mishima will revisit throughout his career. also comes to mind.
Mishima’s prose is a blend of elegance and incisiveness. He captures the emotional states of his characters through flashes of insight that function almost like aphorisms. These are interspersed with superb descriptions (Tsukimi Festival in chap. 3), and poetic yet introspective passages that create a pervasive atmosphere of brooding melancholy and foreshadow the impending tragedy. The novel’s nuanced portrayal of Etsuko, coupled with its violent conclusion, left a lasting impact on me.
July 13, 2021
A short and intriguing little novel, “Thirst for Love” is my fourth novel by Yukio Mishima, and while it’s probably the one I liked the least, it is a complex and dramatic tale like only he could write. And let's face it, I don't think Mishima had it in him to write a bad book...
The recently widowed Etsuko has moved into her father-in-law’s household in the country of post-war Japan. Her marriage was loveless, and her husband cheated on her constantly, and she is starved for the affection and passion he denied her. She gives in to her father-in-law’s advances, more out of apathy than anything else; she is so miserable that she simply can’t be bothered to care. That is, until she becomes violently infatuated with a young farmhand named Saburo. The young man does not return her feelings, and the situation will soon escalate into tragedy, as such things are wont to do.
Mishima knew more than a little about obsession and sexual repression, and found the right words with which to weave those things into very human stories. Etsuko loses herself in this obsessive “love” for Saburo, wishing that he would make up for the pain and humiliation both her husband and her father-in-law have inflicted on her. But of course, it doesn’t work like that. Saburo is young, unattached and with no plans to settle – he doesn’t even think about love as where it is the only thing on Etsuko’s mind. The more she grasps for him, the more elusive he becomes.
Mishima wrote a lot of unsympathetic characters, and he usually makes them very interesting, but here, I just found the characters unpleasant and a little dry. Perhaps the story is a bit too short to give them room to develop, but they felt less real to me than in other works by Mishima, and it might be why I didn’t enjoy this novel quite as much as “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” (/review/show...) or “Spring Snow” (/review/show...). But his prose, even translated, is so beautiful that it can redeem even common characters and rather pathetic family drama.
An interesting reflexion on unrequited love and obsessive passion by someone who knew too well what he was talking about.
The recently widowed Etsuko has moved into her father-in-law’s household in the country of post-war Japan. Her marriage was loveless, and her husband cheated on her constantly, and she is starved for the affection and passion he denied her. She gives in to her father-in-law’s advances, more out of apathy than anything else; she is so miserable that she simply can’t be bothered to care. That is, until she becomes violently infatuated with a young farmhand named Saburo. The young man does not return her feelings, and the situation will soon escalate into tragedy, as such things are wont to do.
Mishima knew more than a little about obsession and sexual repression, and found the right words with which to weave those things into very human stories. Etsuko loses herself in this obsessive “love” for Saburo, wishing that he would make up for the pain and humiliation both her husband and her father-in-law have inflicted on her. But of course, it doesn’t work like that. Saburo is young, unattached and with no plans to settle – he doesn’t even think about love as where it is the only thing on Etsuko’s mind. The more she grasps for him, the more elusive he becomes.
Mishima wrote a lot of unsympathetic characters, and he usually makes them very interesting, but here, I just found the characters unpleasant and a little dry. Perhaps the story is a bit too short to give them room to develop, but they felt less real to me than in other works by Mishima, and it might be why I didn’t enjoy this novel quite as much as “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” (/review/show...) or “Spring Snow” (/review/show...). But his prose, even translated, is so beautiful that it can redeem even common characters and rather pathetic family drama.
An interesting reflexion on unrequited love and obsessive passion by someone who knew too well what he was talking about.
May 4, 2011
Really odd coincidence in a way that I picked up this novel last night. I was so stunned by it that I wrote a review straight away. I wasn't going to type it up till later but then I got so annoyed by reading the retarded reviews on Amazon I decided to do it now, while coffeed up. People are such stupid pods, just because they actually read books doesn't seem to make them sensitive or intelligent. Most of them completely missed the subtleties...maybe because most of the reviewers on Amazon are male for some reason. Most reviewers generally are I suppose. Women are trained not to value their own opinions, and men are trained to value theirs too much.
"Beggars show you their wounds to make you sorry for them. They're horrible. Madam is like some kind of proud beggar."
Mishima is a very unusual man in many ways but most of all in his ability to create impressive female characters. It's hard to think of any other male author who can do this. I suppose it's a result of being locked in a room with his grandmother for most of his childhood. She apparently was a fearful and possibly quite insane matriarch, who did not allow him any freedom except in her vast library. No wonder he is also a master of creating oppressive and dysfunctional atmospheres, such as the one that permeates this novel.
Etsuko is not just impressive, but quite complex and frightening, and her psychosis is clearly explicable and understandable, which makes her disturbingly easy to identify with. Her madness is really just an extreme version of the very common romantic delusion that turns love into a kind of twisted spiritual quest to heal one's wounds by inflicting pain on others. Her obsession is almost like vampirism, though that is a crude analogy, this idea of an unquenchable hunger is reflected in the title. It makes you think about the energy dynamics involved in the urge to "own" a lover. And about extreme possessiveness as a kind of mania to control and take over a person, psychically as much as sexually. And also of course as a symptom of the rank betrayal which Etsuko experienced in her marriage. The way Mishima portrays her is in fact very sympathetic. He clearly admires her intensity and her sensitivity.
She is a sophisticated and intelligent woman, who after her disasterous marriage to a philanderer ends in his gruesome death from Typhoid, moves to the country to live on his fathers farm. She and the father have a strange intimate relationship, which at first seems like abuse, but is soon revealed as quite mutually beneficial. She doesn't enjoy his physical attentions but it gives her a power in the household and over him. The old man is in awe of her, and very jealous when she forms an obsession for a young farm labourer. She in turn is furiously jealous of the young mans relationship with one of the maids. In fact jealousy is her vice, her addiction, which might be why she chose to marry the philanderer in the first place.
The younger man himself is without any sentiment. He doesn't understand the concept of Love at all, or even guess that he is beloved, though it is so obvious to everyone else. He is a perfect symbol of youthful callousness. The whole situation is doomed to disaster. From his perspective she is crazy. In fact from any perspective...to fall in love so obsessively is a form of insanity, but even more so when the object is such a vacant and simple character. It's almost as if it is his very blankness, the shining young ignorant emptiness of him that she is so engrossed with. I suppose the blank screen is always best suited for projection.
The whole point of the exercise seems to be to cause herself the maximum possible pain, but the situation also says a lot about class, and about the reality of the hierarchical system. There can be no meaningful communication between them, and that is what she fails to comprehend. This total incomprehension somehow translates into obsession, I think because truly understanding someone makes it impossible to maintain such delusions. Even at the end when the penny finally drops there can be no physical connection between them. She does not want his lust but rather his Love, which of course does not exist, and this fine distinction I think is what makes this novel far more interesting and thought provoking than others with a similar theme.
As usual Mr Mishima has made my head explode. Nice to know someone out there can still do that.
"Beggars show you their wounds to make you sorry for them. They're horrible. Madam is like some kind of proud beggar."
Mishima is a very unusual man in many ways but most of all in his ability to create impressive female characters. It's hard to think of any other male author who can do this. I suppose it's a result of being locked in a room with his grandmother for most of his childhood. She apparently was a fearful and possibly quite insane matriarch, who did not allow him any freedom except in her vast library. No wonder he is also a master of creating oppressive and dysfunctional atmospheres, such as the one that permeates this novel.
Etsuko is not just impressive, but quite complex and frightening, and her psychosis is clearly explicable and understandable, which makes her disturbingly easy to identify with. Her madness is really just an extreme version of the very common romantic delusion that turns love into a kind of twisted spiritual quest to heal one's wounds by inflicting pain on others. Her obsession is almost like vampirism, though that is a crude analogy, this idea of an unquenchable hunger is reflected in the title. It makes you think about the energy dynamics involved in the urge to "own" a lover. And about extreme possessiveness as a kind of mania to control and take over a person, psychically as much as sexually. And also of course as a symptom of the rank betrayal which Etsuko experienced in her marriage. The way Mishima portrays her is in fact very sympathetic. He clearly admires her intensity and her sensitivity.
She is a sophisticated and intelligent woman, who after her disasterous marriage to a philanderer ends in his gruesome death from Typhoid, moves to the country to live on his fathers farm. She and the father have a strange intimate relationship, which at first seems like abuse, but is soon revealed as quite mutually beneficial. She doesn't enjoy his physical attentions but it gives her a power in the household and over him. The old man is in awe of her, and very jealous when she forms an obsession for a young farm labourer. She in turn is furiously jealous of the young mans relationship with one of the maids. In fact jealousy is her vice, her addiction, which might be why she chose to marry the philanderer in the first place.
The younger man himself is without any sentiment. He doesn't understand the concept of Love at all, or even guess that he is beloved, though it is so obvious to everyone else. He is a perfect symbol of youthful callousness. The whole situation is doomed to disaster. From his perspective she is crazy. In fact from any perspective...to fall in love so obsessively is a form of insanity, but even more so when the object is such a vacant and simple character. It's almost as if it is his very blankness, the shining young ignorant emptiness of him that she is so engrossed with. I suppose the blank screen is always best suited for projection.
The whole point of the exercise seems to be to cause herself the maximum possible pain, but the situation also says a lot about class, and about the reality of the hierarchical system. There can be no meaningful communication between them, and that is what she fails to comprehend. This total incomprehension somehow translates into obsession, I think because truly understanding someone makes it impossible to maintain such delusions. Even at the end when the penny finally drops there can be no physical connection between them. She does not want his lust but rather his Love, which of course does not exist, and this fine distinction I think is what makes this novel far more interesting and thought provoking than others with a similar theme.
As usual Mr Mishima has made my head explode. Nice to know someone out there can still do that.
September 19, 2016
What is it that prompts us to love? Is it something we have no say in, helplessly falling to its schemes unaware of its happening or is it something we push ourselves into like a drug we so insanely search for. Is it truly a person that is the object of our affection and insanity or is it merely an independent feeling we cultivate in us and then attach to the person most convenient?
Thirst for Love is a shattering depiction of self-depravity. Etsuko is a broken woman beyond repair, hunted by the scars left by her torturous husband. No, her name is not the battered wife. Her wounds run deeper; in the recesses of her persona her scabs and sores rot and give off a stench. She is a human being whole on the outside, but inside she is filled with fissures and rents. These cracks invisible to the eye, but readily felt, is infinitely more pronounced than the superficial kind remedied with ointment. Etsuko was subjected to an intense psychological torment that imbedded in her soul was the unwavering belief that she was unwanted, unneeded, and unloved. And so as a way to cope, at the center of her being, wrapped by all she held dear, she cultivated an intense jealousy she worshipped.
However the hands of fate interfere with her life and her philandering tormentor of a husband acquires a grave illness. Oh how she reveled in his pain and misery! Oh how she celebrated his every call for help by mentioning her name! And in his dying moments, she was the model wife, not out of love or affection, but out of insane happiness rooted in her knowledge that her jealousy and suffering was bound to flourish stronger than she had known. And so when he was gone, her devil snuffed, she moved in with her husband’s family never more broken, but in her brokenness dwelled her strength. The shattered woman then finds herself in a game of emotional cat-and-mouse. Her proud father-in-law, Yakichi, took her as his own and greedily immersed in her womanhood. Her damaged heart endured, but she finds relief in the eyes of their innocent manservant Saburo. And so she is entangled in a web that tests not their capacity to love, but their ability to endure hurting. Etsuko revels in her pain, in her jealousy. She enjoys the stifling danger of the precarious status quo that at any moment can snap and destroy them all. But then the pangs of love slowly overtake her jealousy and she starts to ache for a resolution that can only bring them all to ruin.
We all have a need to be loved, this beautiful oasis we all long for and worship. But will we really die without this paradise, this love from another? This longing, is it so vital to our survival? Can we not draw water from our own wells to feed our thirst? Here is a woman who never knew that her own thirst could be quenched by the spring inside her. Her brokenness left her blind to the pool in her that would have given her life. This pool that reflects, that teaches us accepting who we are and learning to love ourselves is the first step towards the oasis. That to be loved by another, we must first see that there is something to be loved inside of us, and even without it, we can realize that the water of our wells, our appreciation if not love for the self, is more than enough to sustain us. This function was lost to Etsuko, maybe broken by her suffering, and it proved to be her bane.
Thirst for love is the story of a woman who only asked that she be loved but was denied. A broken woman, already shattered to pieces, yet is crushed by her own need for salvation. It is thoroughly haunting, nevertheless in her hopeless struggle flashes of intense beauty overwhelmed, the kind of melancholy beauty that only lingers in the tragic, a kind of beauty that grabs the heart and never lets go. The image of a drowning woman comes to mind. She rebels against her fate and strives for the surface with all her might, but the more she fights, the more she sinks into oblivion.
Thirst for Love is a shattering depiction of self-depravity. Etsuko is a broken woman beyond repair, hunted by the scars left by her torturous husband. No, her name is not the battered wife. Her wounds run deeper; in the recesses of her persona her scabs and sores rot and give off a stench. She is a human being whole on the outside, but inside she is filled with fissures and rents. These cracks invisible to the eye, but readily felt, is infinitely more pronounced than the superficial kind remedied with ointment. Etsuko was subjected to an intense psychological torment that imbedded in her soul was the unwavering belief that she was unwanted, unneeded, and unloved. And so as a way to cope, at the center of her being, wrapped by all she held dear, she cultivated an intense jealousy she worshipped.
However the hands of fate interfere with her life and her philandering tormentor of a husband acquires a grave illness. Oh how she reveled in his pain and misery! Oh how she celebrated his every call for help by mentioning her name! And in his dying moments, she was the model wife, not out of love or affection, but out of insane happiness rooted in her knowledge that her jealousy and suffering was bound to flourish stronger than she had known. And so when he was gone, her devil snuffed, she moved in with her husband’s family never more broken, but in her brokenness dwelled her strength. The shattered woman then finds herself in a game of emotional cat-and-mouse. Her proud father-in-law, Yakichi, took her as his own and greedily immersed in her womanhood. Her damaged heart endured, but she finds relief in the eyes of their innocent manservant Saburo. And so she is entangled in a web that tests not their capacity to love, but their ability to endure hurting. Etsuko revels in her pain, in her jealousy. She enjoys the stifling danger of the precarious status quo that at any moment can snap and destroy them all. But then the pangs of love slowly overtake her jealousy and she starts to ache for a resolution that can only bring them all to ruin.
We all have a need to be loved, this beautiful oasis we all long for and worship. But will we really die without this paradise, this love from another? This longing, is it so vital to our survival? Can we not draw water from our own wells to feed our thirst? Here is a woman who never knew that her own thirst could be quenched by the spring inside her. Her brokenness left her blind to the pool in her that would have given her life. This pool that reflects, that teaches us accepting who we are and learning to love ourselves is the first step towards the oasis. That to be loved by another, we must first see that there is something to be loved inside of us, and even without it, we can realize that the water of our wells, our appreciation if not love for the self, is more than enough to sustain us. This function was lost to Etsuko, maybe broken by her suffering, and it proved to be her bane.
Thirst for love is the story of a woman who only asked that she be loved but was denied. A broken woman, already shattered to pieces, yet is crushed by her own need for salvation. It is thoroughly haunting, nevertheless in her hopeless struggle flashes of intense beauty overwhelmed, the kind of melancholy beauty that only lingers in the tragic, a kind of beauty that grabs the heart and never lets go. The image of a drowning woman comes to mind. She rebels against her fate and strives for the surface with all her might, but the more she fights, the more she sinks into oblivion.
February 5, 2025
Ce carte! Ce personaj principal negativ are Mishima!
Asa cum ne-a obisnuit, autorul este neindurator cu simturile si mintea cititorului. Proza lui te rascoleste, te raneste, te alina, te bantuie si te paraseste, luand cu ea tot ce aveai in tine si umplandu-te cu lucruri straine la care nu te asteptai nicicand. In mod cert dupa ce termini cartile lui esti trezit, constient.
Cel mai mult imi place ca Mishima imbina stilul traditional japonez cu psihanaliza occidentala dand nastere unor personaje unice si complexe cu o foarte buna cunoastere psihologica.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea, Etsuko Sugimoto este o vaduva care traieste in casa socrului ei alaturi de cumnatul, cumnata si copiii lor. Socrul ocupandu-se cu cultivarea pamantului are ca ajutoare mai multi gradinari, printre care si tanarul Saburo. Etsuko se indragosteste de acesta si desi incearca sa-si ascunda sentimentele, toti isi dau seama de ceea ce simte, inclusiv socrul ei cu care avea deja o relatie, tainuita si ea.
Lucrurile se complica pentru Etsuko atunci cand Saburo o lasa insarcinata pe servitoarea ei si se ridica intrebarea ce ar trebui sa faca in aceasta situatie? Atunci iese la iveala caracterul ei ucigator, ros de gelozie, inecat in furie si cruzime. Si asa cum bine stim 'iadul nu are atata furie precum o femeie starnita'. Ea va face totul sa saboteze tanara pereche, pandindu-i la culesul de fructe, nelasandu-i sa se imbaieze impreuna, facand diverse daruri barbatului si alungand-o pe servitoare din casa.
Desi initial putem sa o compatimim pe protagonista pentru felul in care fusese tratata de catre defunctul ei sot care o insela si o chinuia, curand ni se dezvaluie adevarata ei fata prin modul in care isi doreste cu ardoare ca el sa moara atunci cand se imbolnaveste de tifos. Ingrijindu-l constiincios ca o sotie iubitoare este devorata de dispret si gelozie inauntrul ei si ar fi capabila si de crima: "Cu mana dreapta ii sprijineam capul si varsam lacrimi pe obrazul lui. Dar cu mana stanga am vrut de nenumarate ori sa-i smulg masca de oxigen."
Torturandu-se cu aerul apasator si sordid al spitalului de boli infectioase devine dependenta de aceasta autoflagelare si dupa moartea sotului ei alege sa locuiasca in casa socrului, un fel de temnita pentru ea, doar ca sa simta din nou molima, durerea si izul mortii.
Etsuko este un personaj complex care ne arata cat de mult te poti lasa devorat de gelozie si sete de iubire, mai ales ca se indragosteste de Saburo, un tanar taran simplu care nu stie nimic despre iubire si pentru care nu conteaza sentimentele de niciun fel. Pentru el lucrurile sunt simple, te impreunezi cu o persoana, te insori, faci copil si muncesti pamantul.
Finalul este tumultuos si neasteptat, in concordanta cu pornirea si furia ei, nimicind tot ce-i sta in cale, facand din Etsuko o antieroina memorabila, plina de caracter si care acapareaza tot romanul, facand ca celelalte personaje sa paleasca in jurul ei. Ea este intunericul care straluceste, fiind totodata sursa de "lumina" a romanului.
Ca incheiere atasez mai multe citate care vin sa sprijine aceasta personalitate furtunoasa a eroinei si din care putem sa tragem cateva invataminte:
"Suferinta indelungata te prosteste. Dar cei prostiti de suferinta nu se mai indoiesc de fericire atunci cand au parte de ea."
"Etsuko a chicotit. Ce minte putea sa aiba acest barbat, care nu se abtinea sa-i turuie incontinuu la ureche, de parca era incontinent. Exact asta avea, "incontinenta cerebrala." Se scapa pe el in modul cel mai jalnic."
"Uneori, barfa urmeaza o directie mai dreapta decat adevarul, iar adevarul e mai mincinos decat barfa."
"O infocare mai mare de atat nu poate exista, deoarece singurul lucru care poate macina infocarea este chiar speranta."
"Bucuria marunta de a fi nerusinat... Bucuria de a fi plin de dispret, de a zambi rautacios in sinea ta... Daca pe lume exista oameni nascuti doar cu scopul acesta, inseamna ca lui Dumnezeu ii place sa faca lucruri in zadar."
"Aici domnea fericirea - hrana care se descompune cel mai repede - in starea cea mai putrezita, necomestibila."
"Viata - aceasta mare nesfarsita, incarcata de fel si fel de resturi plutitoare, capricioasa, violenta si totusi de un albastru vesnic limpede."
Asa cum ne-a obisnuit, autorul este neindurator cu simturile si mintea cititorului. Proza lui te rascoleste, te raneste, te alina, te bantuie si te paraseste, luand cu ea tot ce aveai in tine si umplandu-te cu lucruri straine la care nu te asteptai nicicand. In mod cert dupa ce termini cartile lui esti trezit, constient.
Cel mai mult imi place ca Mishima imbina stilul traditional japonez cu psihanaliza occidentala dand nastere unor personaje unice si complexe cu o foarte buna cunoastere psihologica.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea, Etsuko Sugimoto este o vaduva care traieste in casa socrului ei alaturi de cumnatul, cumnata si copiii lor. Socrul ocupandu-se cu cultivarea pamantului are ca ajutoare mai multi gradinari, printre care si tanarul Saburo. Etsuko se indragosteste de acesta si desi incearca sa-si ascunda sentimentele, toti isi dau seama de ceea ce simte, inclusiv socrul ei cu care avea deja o relatie, tainuita si ea.
Lucrurile se complica pentru Etsuko atunci cand Saburo o lasa insarcinata pe servitoarea ei si se ridica intrebarea ce ar trebui sa faca in aceasta situatie? Atunci iese la iveala caracterul ei ucigator, ros de gelozie, inecat in furie si cruzime. Si asa cum bine stim 'iadul nu are atata furie precum o femeie starnita'. Ea va face totul sa saboteze tanara pereche, pandindu-i la culesul de fructe, nelasandu-i sa se imbaieze impreuna, facand diverse daruri barbatului si alungand-o pe servitoare din casa.
Desi initial putem sa o compatimim pe protagonista pentru felul in care fusese tratata de catre defunctul ei sot care o insela si o chinuia, curand ni se dezvaluie adevarata ei fata prin modul in care isi doreste cu ardoare ca el sa moara atunci cand se imbolnaveste de tifos. Ingrijindu-l constiincios ca o sotie iubitoare este devorata de dispret si gelozie inauntrul ei si ar fi capabila si de crima: "Cu mana dreapta ii sprijineam capul si varsam lacrimi pe obrazul lui. Dar cu mana stanga am vrut de nenumarate ori sa-i smulg masca de oxigen."
Torturandu-se cu aerul apasator si sordid al spitalului de boli infectioase devine dependenta de aceasta autoflagelare si dupa moartea sotului ei alege sa locuiasca in casa socrului, un fel de temnita pentru ea, doar ca sa simta din nou molima, durerea si izul mortii.
Etsuko este un personaj complex care ne arata cat de mult te poti lasa devorat de gelozie si sete de iubire, mai ales ca se indragosteste de Saburo, un tanar taran simplu care nu stie nimic despre iubire si pentru care nu conteaza sentimentele de niciun fel. Pentru el lucrurile sunt simple, te impreunezi cu o persoana, te insori, faci copil si muncesti pamantul.
Finalul este tumultuos si neasteptat, in concordanta cu pornirea si furia ei, nimicind tot ce-i sta in cale, facand din Etsuko o antieroina memorabila, plina de caracter si care acapareaza tot romanul, facand ca celelalte personaje sa paleasca in jurul ei. Ea este intunericul care straluceste, fiind totodata sursa de "lumina" a romanului.
Ca incheiere atasez mai multe citate care vin sa sprijine aceasta personalitate furtunoasa a eroinei si din care putem sa tragem cateva invataminte:
"Suferinta indelungata te prosteste. Dar cei prostiti de suferinta nu se mai indoiesc de fericire atunci cand au parte de ea."
"Etsuko a chicotit. Ce minte putea sa aiba acest barbat, care nu se abtinea sa-i turuie incontinuu la ureche, de parca era incontinent. Exact asta avea, "incontinenta cerebrala." Se scapa pe el in modul cel mai jalnic."
"Uneori, barfa urmeaza o directie mai dreapta decat adevarul, iar adevarul e mai mincinos decat barfa."
"O infocare mai mare de atat nu poate exista, deoarece singurul lucru care poate macina infocarea este chiar speranta."
"Bucuria marunta de a fi nerusinat... Bucuria de a fi plin de dispret, de a zambi rautacios in sinea ta... Daca pe lume exista oameni nascuti doar cu scopul acesta, inseamna ca lui Dumnezeu ii place sa faca lucruri in zadar."
"Aici domnea fericirea - hrana care se descompune cel mai repede - in starea cea mai putrezita, necomestibila."
"Viata - aceasta mare nesfarsita, incarcata de fel si fel de resturi plutitoare, capricioasa, violenta si totusi de un albastru vesnic limpede."
January 11, 2020
?nsan ruhunun derinliklerini bu kadar incelikle anlatmak.. Etsuko yu anlamak zor oldu. Ama bi kere anlad?ktan sonra.. hala sürüyor kafamda mukayeseler tespitler ??kar?mlar.. bir kitab?n en k?ymetli yan? bu gibi geliyor bana; insanda bitmeyen bir ayd?nlatma ya?atmas?.
January 19, 2020
?nsan?n dibinde kalm?? tortuyu ?alkalamay? iyi biliyor Mi?ima. ?nsan?n karanl?k taraf?ndaki hislerin, ikilemlerin, dürtülerin nas?l a???a ??kaca??n? gayet iyi biliyor ve bunu biz insanlara romanlar?yla bir güzel hat?rlat?yor.
Her zamanki gibi ?arp?c? bir Mi?ima roman?yd?.
Tavsiye ediyorum.
Her zamanki gibi ?arp?c? bir Mi?ima roman?yd?.
Tavsiye ediyorum.
October 31, 2023
Этот роман - не о любви, а о недолюбленности и о желании, неутолимой острой жажде любви, которую эта недолюбленность порождает. Ее муж ей изменял и испытывал извращенное удовольствие от ее ревности. Ее чувства также были довольно извращенными, это что-то из разряда садо-мазо, которые довольно сложно понять. Потеряв мужа, умершего от тифа, Эцуко переезжает в дом свекра, с которым у нее начинаются сексуальные отношения. Нет, любви здесь нет, а есть сплав по течению, покорность судьбе, пассивность, но это кажущееся состояние. Внутри нее тлеет огонь, жажда, которую нужно непременно утолить. Встретив молодого садовника Сабуро, в Эцуко разгорается страсть. Образовываются множественные любовные треугольники, которые образуют нераспутываемый узел. Она пытается завладеть Сабуро, как хищник, исподволь готовясь к прыжку. Это и сцена на празднике, где она в толпе игроков царапает его спину, и подаренные носочки. Она требует увольнения забеременевшей от Сабуро служанки. Она добивается своего, шаг за шагом. А огонь все тлеет. Наконец, она встречается с ним, казалось бы, все – цель достигнута. Но она не может испить любовь, и это не любовь и, возможно, даже не страсть – это душевная боль, та боль, которая сводит людей с ума. Она отворачивает свое лицо, отвергает его ласки, она кричит. На ее крик прибегает Якити с мотыгой. Она хватает мотыгу и убивает Сабуро. Вопрос – почему она это делает? Она отвечает: ?Потому что он мучил меня. Никто не смеет мучить меня?. Да, это страшная женщина, за кажущейся слабостью скрывается сильная личность, во что бы то ни стало добивающаяся своего. Смыв кровь с рук, она ложится рядом с дрожащим Якити и погружается в умиротворенный сон. Усталость, растянувшаяся на годы, несоизмеримая с только что совершенным преступлением, накопленная усталость явилась платой за этот безвинный сон. Мисима умеет найти в самых потаенных уголках души подавленные состояния и чувства, вынести их на божий свет, увидеть при дневном свете. Это очень мастерски умелая работа.
September 29, 2021
Πρ?τη επαφ? με Mishima, στ?φθηκε με απ?λυτη επιτυχ?α!!
4,5 αστ?ρια
4,5 αστ?ρια
December 26, 2019
“Eylemlerimiz,duygular?m?za k?yasla,ne kadar da ?abuk unutulur”
.
Etsuko e?ini kaybetti,tifodan. Zorlu bir süre?ti, belki hastal?k de?ildi onu yoran, ba?ka bir ?ey vard? yitirdi?ini hissetti?i.. E?inin ailesinin evine yerle?ti?inde bunu anlad?. Etsuko a??k oldu ve bir girdab?n i?inde buldu kendini.. Kaybedece?i bir ?ey kalmay?nca neler yapmaz ki insan?
Zalimle?ir, aptalla??r, kendisiyle süregiden sava??n?n zaferini duyumsar kan?nda. Etsuko korkmuyor.
Onun hayat?, hayat?n?n bitti?ini dü?ündükleri anda ba?l?yor.. Kelebek kozas?ndan ??k?yor.
.
Mi?ima benim i?in ?ok ?zel. Anlatt???, büyük olaylar de?il, aksine kü?ücük bir olay?, sade bir ki?iyi g?z kama?t?r?c? hale getirmesinde onun alametifarikas?. Her eserinde daha da vuruldu?um nokta ?rne?in: erkek bedenini betimlerken kalemindeki ak???/heyecan?.. Bunu hissedebiliyorsunuz.. (bilhassa Bereket Denizi serisinde)
.
A?ka Susam??’ta kad?n karakterlerin i?leni?i, bana Tanizaki’yi an?msatt?. Aile i?indeki hassas dengeler, yasak tutkular ve g?zü karal?k detaylar?nda..
.
Ali Volkan Erdemir ?evirisini okumak,her eserde oldu?u gibi, ?ok keyifli. Yabani durmayan, ilk okuyu?ta dahi sahiplenebilece?iniz bir dil..
.
Kapak foto?raf? ise zihnimdeki Etsuko’ya ?ok yak?n.. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’ye ait~
.
Etsuko e?ini kaybetti,tifodan. Zorlu bir süre?ti, belki hastal?k de?ildi onu yoran, ba?ka bir ?ey vard? yitirdi?ini hissetti?i.. E?inin ailesinin evine yerle?ti?inde bunu anlad?. Etsuko a??k oldu ve bir girdab?n i?inde buldu kendini.. Kaybedece?i bir ?ey kalmay?nca neler yapmaz ki insan?
Zalimle?ir, aptalla??r, kendisiyle süregiden sava??n?n zaferini duyumsar kan?nda. Etsuko korkmuyor.
Onun hayat?, hayat?n?n bitti?ini dü?ündükleri anda ba?l?yor.. Kelebek kozas?ndan ??k?yor.
.
Mi?ima benim i?in ?ok ?zel. Anlatt???, büyük olaylar de?il, aksine kü?ücük bir olay?, sade bir ki?iyi g?z kama?t?r?c? hale getirmesinde onun alametifarikas?. Her eserinde daha da vuruldu?um nokta ?rne?in: erkek bedenini betimlerken kalemindeki ak???/heyecan?.. Bunu hissedebiliyorsunuz.. (bilhassa Bereket Denizi serisinde)
.
A?ka Susam??’ta kad?n karakterlerin i?leni?i, bana Tanizaki’yi an?msatt?. Aile i?indeki hassas dengeler, yasak tutkular ve g?zü karal?k detaylar?nda..
.
Ali Volkan Erdemir ?evirisini okumak,her eserde oldu?u gibi, ?ok keyifli. Yabani durmayan, ilk okuyu?ta dahi sahiplenebilece?iniz bir dil..
.
Kapak foto?raf? ise zihnimdeki Etsuko’ya ?ok yak?n.. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’ye ait~
February 13, 2021
?yi misin? Teknen batmak üzere. Hala m? yard?m ?a??rm?yorsun? Ruhunun gemisini fazlas?yla istismar ettin, kendini s???naca??n limandan yine kendin yoksun b?rakt?n. Art?k kendi gücünle denizde yüzmek zorundas?n. ?nündeki tek ?ey ise ?lüm. Buna raz? m?s?n?
//
Raftan elinize dü?ünmeden ?ylesine ald???n?z kitab?n kapa??n? büyük bir be?eniyle kapat?yorsunuz ya? ??te dünyay? kurtar?rsa bu kitaplar kurtar?r anca. Yoksa beklentiyle okuyup ko?arak uzakla?t?klar?m?zla hayat sanm?yorum ama ba?ar?lar.
//
Raftan elinize dü?ünmeden ?ylesine ald???n?z kitab?n kapa??n? büyük bir be?eniyle kapat?yorsunuz ya? ??te dünyay? kurtar?rsa bu kitaplar kurtar?r anca. Yoksa beklentiyle okuyup ko?arak uzakla?t?klar?m?zla hayat sanm?yorum ama ba?ar?lar.
September 1, 2020
?eviri harika olmu?, kültür farkl?l???na dayal? yabanc?la?may? bu kitapta bir an bile ya?am?yorsunuz. Ki?iler ve mekanlar hep g?zünüzün ?nünde sanki.
Mi?ima'ya ?zgü ar?za karakterleri katman katman anlatma bu eserde de var, "Hi? anlam?yorum bu kad?n?... Bunu neden yap?yorsun?..." diye diye okurken, en sonunda ah be diyorsun. Benim hep huzurumu ka??ran bir yazar ama diyeceksiniz ki Mi?ima bulmu? mu ki huzuru sana da bir dal uzats?n!
Olsun yine de bu ruh halimi sevmiyorum, d?rt y?ld?z olmas?n?n sebebi tamamen duygusal sebepten :)
Mi?ima'ya ?zgü ar?za karakterleri katman katman anlatma bu eserde de var, "Hi? anlam?yorum bu kad?n?... Bunu neden yap?yorsun?..." diye diye okurken, en sonunda ah be diyorsun. Benim hep huzurumu ka??ran bir yazar ama diyeceksiniz ki Mi?ima bulmu? mu ki huzuru sana da bir dal uzats?n!
Olsun yine de bu ruh halimi sevmiyorum, d?rt y?ld?z olmas?n?n sebebi tamamen duygusal sebepten :)
April 13, 2019
Thirst for Love is a powerful psychological narrative and, sadly, a technically flawed book. The choices and overall execution by the author destroy what could have been a haunting, memorable antihero. To start off with, Mishima’s omniscient point of view in this book makes no sense. The focus shifts constantly between the narrator and Etsuko—the protagonist—with occasional random shifts to other characters that really does not add any substance.
Then there are the triple-layered Etsuko narratives, by which I mean the narrator is following Etsuko, then we are in Etsuko’s point of view, and then we are suddenly in Etsuko’s head reading her thoughts… but none of this sub-layering serves the story. What Mishima is doing here is clumsy. The narrator is an annoying commentator. Etsuko's thoughts are often nothing more than existential reflections that seem to be a window for the author to make us think deeper rather than believe what Etsuko would be feeling without all these imposed thought interjections. The only valid voice, the necessary POV is that of Etsuko. Etsuko is suffering—she has an intense crush, she has an intense hatred, she has intense jealousy—these are raw emotions full of destructive energy, they are not moments of existential crises and reflection, they are moments of action.
The weakness in this structure is Mishima’s fear that the reader will not understand Etsuko’s plight without being spoon fed every logical nuance that leads to her action or inaction. But by his unfounded anxiety, Mishima has ended up practically telling me everything, and with so little shown, there is no room for emotional resonance. Handled differently, I would have felt pain and desolation and frustration on behalf of Etsuko, instead of a boring indifference to her suffering.
It is really strange that the most unusual thread is not explored, much less developed, i.e. Etsuko being a widow is now her father-in-law’s mistress. Instead, her infatuation with Saburo, a younger, handsome man is the focus. Emotionally, there is no reason why she should not fall for Saburo. Yet I am to take for granted her current situation with her father-in-law, and somehow feel her pain for the somewhat unattainable Saburo. Is it normal in the culture that the widow of the son become the father-in-law’s mistress? And what about the pregnant Miyo who we never know anything of anymore?
Then there are the plethora of metaphors throughout the book. It sometimes read like an author imposing a quota on himself to produce as many metaphors as possible, and this detracted from the more needed sense of emotional urgency. Some of the metaphors work and really capture the essence of the moment:
But others fall flat or are cringe-worthy:
…翱耻肠丑!
With all that aside, the greatest affront in this novel is the climax. It came across as completely ridiculous and unbelievable. I do not wish to give it away for anyone who may want to read the book, although I would say there are better books out there, but it was so sudden and unexpected that it read like a cheap device to enthrall rather than to instigate an emotional chord. With a rushed denouement that does not even round up the story appropriately, I was left jarred and irritated at such a clumsy book.
Then there are the triple-layered Etsuko narratives, by which I mean the narrator is following Etsuko, then we are in Etsuko’s point of view, and then we are suddenly in Etsuko’s head reading her thoughts… but none of this sub-layering serves the story. What Mishima is doing here is clumsy. The narrator is an annoying commentator. Etsuko's thoughts are often nothing more than existential reflections that seem to be a window for the author to make us think deeper rather than believe what Etsuko would be feeling without all these imposed thought interjections. The only valid voice, the necessary POV is that of Etsuko. Etsuko is suffering—she has an intense crush, she has an intense hatred, she has intense jealousy—these are raw emotions full of destructive energy, they are not moments of existential crises and reflection, they are moments of action.
Then she went on in the same way: “At that rate, when you got back here and Miyo wasn’t here, it worked out perfectly, didn’t it?”
Her words were half thought, half spoken. She had difficulty distinguishing between soliloquy that kept insistently repeating itself in her mind and the soliloquy that she uttered.
In dreams, seedlings mature instantly into fruit-bearing trees, and small birds become winged horses. So in Etsuko’s trance, outlandish hopes waxed into shape of hopes capable of immediate realization.
What if I am the one Saburo has loved? I will have to be bold and try to find out. I must not even think that what I anticipate will not come true. If my hopes come true, I shall be happy. It’s that simple.
Thus Etsuko pondered. Hopes for whose fruition one does not fear, however, are hopes so much as, in the last analysis, a species of desperation.
“All right; but, then, who in the world do you love? Etsuko asked.
The weakness in this structure is Mishima’s fear that the reader will not understand Etsuko’s plight without being spoon fed every logical nuance that leads to her action or inaction. But by his unfounded anxiety, Mishima has ended up practically telling me everything, and with so little shown, there is no room for emotional resonance. Handled differently, I would have felt pain and desolation and frustration on behalf of Etsuko, instead of a boring indifference to her suffering.
It is really strange that the most unusual thread is not explored, much less developed, i.e. Etsuko being a widow is now her father-in-law’s mistress. Instead, her infatuation with Saburo, a younger, handsome man is the focus. Emotionally, there is no reason why she should not fall for Saburo. Yet I am to take for granted her current situation with her father-in-law, and somehow feel her pain for the somewhat unattainable Saburo. Is it normal in the culture that the widow of the son become the father-in-law’s mistress? And what about the pregnant Miyo who we never know anything of anymore?
Then there are the plethora of metaphors throughout the book. It sometimes read like an author imposing a quota on himself to produce as many metaphors as possible, and this detracted from the more needed sense of emotional urgency. Some of the metaphors work and really capture the essence of the moment:
Like an author who thinks himself a genius because his books don’t sell, he felt that his not being asked to lecture anywhere was evidence that the world was not ready for his message.
But others fall flat or are cringe-worthy:
The two sofas and eleven chairs in the drawing room, long untouched by human hand, were very much like girls worn out with waiting.
…翱耻肠丑!
With all that aside, the greatest affront in this novel is the climax. It came across as completely ridiculous and unbelievable. I do not wish to give it away for anyone who may want to read the book, although I would say there are better books out there, but it was so sudden and unexpected that it read like a cheap device to enthrall rather than to instigate an emotional chord. With a rushed denouement that does not even round up the story appropriately, I was left jarred and irritated at such a clumsy book.
February 18, 2024
Vì yêu mà bu?n thì lòng bu?n bi?t bao :(
T?i th?y kh?ng có th? gì h?y di?t kh?ng khi?p cho b?ng tình yêu, nh? m?t l?i nguy?n v?y. Ngày h?m tr??c, ?ó có th? v?n là m?t ng??i bình th??ng. T?i ngày h?m sau, c? v? tr? ?? thu v? m?t ng??i ?ó. Do ?ó mà m?i th?, c? t?t và x?u, ??u b? khu?ch ??i lên t?i kh?ng bi?t bao nhiêu l?n. M?t khi ??ng c?n bên nh?ng th? b? khu?ch ??i ?ó, thì làm sao th?y ???c ?úng sai, toàn c?nh n?a.
Th?t v?y, trong già n?a cu?n sách, t?i c? b?n là u? o?i v?i các nh?n v?t ?áng ghét và có ph?n nhàm chán b?i c?ng nh? Etsuko, t?i t??ng m?t vài d?u hi?u r?t nh? nh? n? c??i c?a Saburo, là bi?u hi?n r? ràng c?a tình yêu, và nh? th?, m?t c?u chuy?n kh?ng có gì ??c bi?t. ?êm qua, ?ang lúc m? màng ??c cho xong, tin Miyo có thai làm t?i ch?t ?i?ng. Th??ng h?i thay cho Etsuko. Nh?ng tê li?t, xung huy?t sau ?ó, ?ng Mishima này ?àn ?ng c?t ?àn bà nên vi?t ?úng l?m, h?p lòng l?m. Nh?ng sang t?i h?m nay, khi ??c v? con ng??i Saburo thì ?úng là ph?i c??i rú lên vì s? v? ngh?a c?a cu?c ??i này. Tr?i ?i, dành h?t t?m can cho m?t hòn ?á, và t? h?n, m?t con v?t hoang d?. ?o?n k?t v?a lòng l?m. Chính t?i có khi c?ng khao khát c?m dao mà ??m ch?t crush, móc cho s?ch tim gan m?t n?o xem trong ?ó là th? gì mà kh?n n?n ??n th?. Too much love will kill you là nh? v?y.
Trong truy?n Etsuko dùng li?u pháp kh? d?m (ngh?a bóng th?i, t?c là càng kh? càng thích) ?? kìm nén n?i lòng. Xem ra kh?ng thành c?ng l?m. M?ng trong lòng v?y ch? c?ng kh?ng nên làm theo c? này. Có m?t vài li?u pháp khác xin ???c gi?i thi?u. ??u tiên là nh? ?ng già Yakichi, t?c là coi tình yêu nh? g?i gh?, t?c là còn yêu là còn c?m xúc con ng??i, c?ng ?áng. Sau n?a thì tình yêu c?ng là m?t d?ng n?ng l??ng và là n?ng l??ng v? cùng l?n. Coi nó nh? ki?p n?n, chuy?n hóa n?ng l??ng ?ó ?? phá v? b?c t??ng v? tri mà ki?n tánh thì t?t l?m. Còn kh?ng thì, ?? nó vào ngh? thu?t. Nh?ng tr??c h?t, ngay trong c?n ?iên cu?ng ?ó, c?n hi?u r?ng có l? nó ch? là m?t hi?u l?m, ho?c m?t l?i nh?, ch? là tình yêu ?? khu?ch ??i nó lên thành cái bóng ma kh?ng l?, và do ?ó, c? g?ng mà h? h?a b?ng m?t s? ho?t ??ng ch?n tay lành m?nh (workout, làm v??n, t?p ?àn, l?p private account mà vào ch?i cho h? =)))))
Nói chung là trong m?y cu?n ?? ??c c?a Mishima thì th?y cu?n này hay nh?t. Kh?ng l? l?i mua ti?p ?? ??c ;)) V? b?n d?ch thì thành th?t là nhi?u ch? t?i ??c ?i ??c l?i v?n kh?ng hi?u tác gi? mu?n nói gì. Kh?ng hi?u do mình ngu hay b?n d?ch t?i.
T?i th?y kh?ng có th? gì h?y di?t kh?ng khi?p cho b?ng tình yêu, nh? m?t l?i nguy?n v?y. Ngày h?m tr??c, ?ó có th? v?n là m?t ng??i bình th??ng. T?i ngày h?m sau, c? v? tr? ?? thu v? m?t ng??i ?ó. Do ?ó mà m?i th?, c? t?t và x?u, ??u b? khu?ch ??i lên t?i kh?ng bi?t bao nhiêu l?n. M?t khi ??ng c?n bên nh?ng th? b? khu?ch ??i ?ó, thì làm sao th?y ???c ?úng sai, toàn c?nh n?a.
Th?t v?y, trong già n?a cu?n sách, t?i c? b?n là u? o?i v?i các nh?n v?t ?áng ghét và có ph?n nhàm chán b?i c?ng nh? Etsuko, t?i t??ng m?t vài d?u hi?u r?t nh? nh? n? c??i c?a Saburo, là bi?u hi?n r? ràng c?a tình yêu, và nh? th?, m?t c?u chuy?n kh?ng có gì ??c bi?t. ?êm qua, ?ang lúc m? màng ??c cho xong, tin Miyo có thai làm t?i ch?t ?i?ng. Th??ng h?i thay cho Etsuko. Nh?ng tê li?t, xung huy?t sau ?ó, ?ng Mishima này ?àn ?ng c?t ?àn bà nên vi?t ?úng l?m, h?p lòng l?m. Nh?ng sang t?i h?m nay, khi ??c v? con ng??i Saburo thì ?úng là ph?i c??i rú lên vì s? v? ngh?a c?a cu?c ??i này. Tr?i ?i, dành h?t t?m can cho m?t hòn ?á, và t? h?n, m?t con v?t hoang d?. ?o?n k?t v?a lòng l?m. Chính t?i có khi c?ng khao khát c?m dao mà ??m ch?t crush, móc cho s?ch tim gan m?t n?o xem trong ?ó là th? gì mà kh?n n?n ??n th?. Too much love will kill you là nh? v?y.
Trong truy?n Etsuko dùng li?u pháp kh? d?m (ngh?a bóng th?i, t?c là càng kh? càng thích) ?? kìm nén n?i lòng. Xem ra kh?ng thành c?ng l?m. M?ng trong lòng v?y ch? c?ng kh?ng nên làm theo c? này. Có m?t vài li?u pháp khác xin ???c gi?i thi?u. ??u tiên là nh? ?ng già Yakichi, t?c là coi tình yêu nh? g?i gh?, t?c là còn yêu là còn c?m xúc con ng??i, c?ng ?áng. Sau n?a thì tình yêu c?ng là m?t d?ng n?ng l??ng và là n?ng l??ng v? cùng l?n. Coi nó nh? ki?p n?n, chuy?n hóa n?ng l??ng ?ó ?? phá v? b?c t??ng v? tri mà ki?n tánh thì t?t l?m. Còn kh?ng thì, ?? nó vào ngh? thu?t. Nh?ng tr??c h?t, ngay trong c?n ?iên cu?ng ?ó, c?n hi?u r?ng có l? nó ch? là m?t hi?u l?m, ho?c m?t l?i nh?, ch? là tình yêu ?? khu?ch ??i nó lên thành cái bóng ma kh?ng l?, và do ?ó, c? g?ng mà h? h?a b?ng m?t s? ho?t ??ng ch?n tay lành m?nh (workout, làm v??n, t?p ?àn, l?p private account mà vào ch?i cho h? =)))))
Nói chung là trong m?y cu?n ?? ??c c?a Mishima thì th?y cu?n này hay nh?t. Kh?ng l? l?i mua ti?p ?? ??c ;)) V? b?n d?ch thì thành th?t là nhi?u ch? t?i ??c ?i ??c l?i v?n kh?ng hi?u tác gi? mu?n nói gì. Kh?ng hi?u do mình ngu hay b?n d?ch t?i.
September 25, 2021
Η νεαρ? Ετσο?κο χ?νει τον σ?ζυγο τη?. Δ?χεται την πρ?ταση του πεθερο? τη? και μετακομ?ζει στο κτ?μα τη? οικογ?νεια? ?που ζουν ?λα τα μ?λη τη? οικογ?νεια?.
Η αφ?γηση γ?νεται με αναδρομ?? στο παρελθ?ν που παρεμβ?λλονται στο παρ?ν.
Ο Μ?σιμα μ?σα απ? την ιστορ?α τη? Ετσο?κο μα? μιλ? για τον ?ρωτα, τη ζ?λια, τα ανθρ?πινα συναισθ?ματα και τα ?ρια που ξεπερν? ?ποιο? χ?νει τον ?λεγχο και την ψυχ? του.
Ο τ?τλο? θεωρ? αναφ?ρεται γενικ? στον ?ρωτα, ε?τε τη? Ετσο?κο, ε?τε των σχ?σεων του συζ?γου τη?, ε?τε του πεθερο? προ? την ?δια, ε?τε του Σ?μπουρο με τη Μιγι?, ε?τε των υπολο?πων ζευγαρι?ν τη? οικογ?νεια?.
?λε? οι μορφ?? του ?ρωτα. Τ? θεωρε? ο καθ?να? ?ρωτα και π?σο συγχ?εται με την αγ?πη. ?λλο ο σαρκικ?? ?ρωτα?, το ορμ?μφυτο, ?λλο το συνα?σθημα. Πω? το βι?νει ο κ?θε ?νθρωπο?, τι προσδοκ?ε? ?χει, πω? το εκφρ?ζει.
Η Ετσο?κο δεν αγαπ?ει, πλ?θει στο μυαλ? τη? μια ιστορ?α κινο?μενη απ? την αν?γκη να ερωτευτε?, να νι?σει, αλλ? ο φ?βο? τη? προδοσ?α?, που δεν αντ?χει ο εγωισμ?? τη?, β?ζει εμπ?δια στην αν?γκη αυτ?.
Για μ?να η Ετσο?κο ε?ναι μια στωικ?, ψ?χραιμη, ψυχρ?, παν?ξυπνη γυνα?κα που υπομ?νει καταστ?σει?, και προσπαθε? να επιβληθε? στα συναισθ?ματα τη?. Να βρει τρ?πο να χαλιναγωγ?σει τι? επιθυμ?ε? τη? για να μην αφ?σει περιθ?ριο να την προδ?σουν.
Δεν μ?νω καθ?λου στι? απ?λειε? τη? Ετσο?κο. Δε νομ?ζω ?τι επηρε?στηκε απ? το θ?νατο τη? μητ?ρα? τη? ?ταν ?ταν παιδ?, ο?τε και του συζ?γου τη?. Περισσ?τερο θεωρ? ?τι σημαδε?τηκε απ? την απ?ρριψη και την αδιαφορ?α του συζ?γου και τη ζ?λια που τη? καλλιεργο?σε.
Ε?ναι μια πολ? ?ξυπνη γυνα?κα που αναζητε? τη συναισθηματικ? ?νταση. Δεν την βρ?σκω αθ?α. Κρ?βει την πραγματικ?τητα ακ?μα και στο ημερολ?γιο τη?, ε?δε την αδυναμ?α του πεθερο? σε αυτ?ν και το εκμεταλλε?τηκε για να εδραι?σει μια καλ? θ?ση στην ιεραρχ?α τη? οικογ?νεια?.
?χει αυτ? περ?εργη αντ?ληψη για τον ?ρωτα. Ε?ναι εκδικητικ?, χαιρ?κακη.
?σα β?ωσε απ? τον σ?ζυγο που την απατο?σε και αυτ? πονο?σε τα περν?ει στο επ?μενο αντικε?μενο του ?ρωτα τη?.
Καταβ?λει κ?θε προσπ?θεια ?στε να προκαλ?σει π?νο στον εαυτ? τη? πριν προλ?βει να τη? τον προκαλ?σει το πρ?σωπο που την ενδιαφ?ρει.
Θ?λοντα? να μην πληγωθε? και προδοθε?, προτιμ? να π?ρει εκδ?κηση με τρ?πο καταστροφικ?.
Η αφ?γηση γ?νεται με αναδρομ?? στο παρελθ?ν που παρεμβ?λλονται στο παρ?ν.
Ο Μ?σιμα μ?σα απ? την ιστορ?α τη? Ετσο?κο μα? μιλ? για τον ?ρωτα, τη ζ?λια, τα ανθρ?πινα συναισθ?ματα και τα ?ρια που ξεπερν? ?ποιο? χ?νει τον ?λεγχο και την ψυχ? του.
Ο τ?τλο? θεωρ? αναφ?ρεται γενικ? στον ?ρωτα, ε?τε τη? Ετσο?κο, ε?τε των σχ?σεων του συζ?γου τη?, ε?τε του πεθερο? προ? την ?δια, ε?τε του Σ?μπουρο με τη Μιγι?, ε?τε των υπολο?πων ζευγαρι?ν τη? οικογ?νεια?.
?λε? οι μορφ?? του ?ρωτα. Τ? θεωρε? ο καθ?να? ?ρωτα και π?σο συγχ?εται με την αγ?πη. ?λλο ο σαρκικ?? ?ρωτα?, το ορμ?μφυτο, ?λλο το συνα?σθημα. Πω? το βι?νει ο κ?θε ?νθρωπο?, τι προσδοκ?ε? ?χει, πω? το εκφρ?ζει.
Η Ετσο?κο δεν αγαπ?ει, πλ?θει στο μυαλ? τη? μια ιστορ?α κινο?μενη απ? την αν?γκη να ερωτευτε?, να νι?σει, αλλ? ο φ?βο? τη? προδοσ?α?, που δεν αντ?χει ο εγωισμ?? τη?, β?ζει εμπ?δια στην αν?γκη αυτ?.
Για μ?να η Ετσο?κο ε?ναι μια στωικ?, ψ?χραιμη, ψυχρ?, παν?ξυπνη γυνα?κα που υπομ?νει καταστ?σει?, και προσπαθε? να επιβληθε? στα συναισθ?ματα τη?. Να βρει τρ?πο να χαλιναγωγ?σει τι? επιθυμ?ε? τη? για να μην αφ?σει περιθ?ριο να την προδ?σουν.
Δεν μ?νω καθ?λου στι? απ?λειε? τη? Ετσο?κο. Δε νομ?ζω ?τι επηρε?στηκε απ? το θ?νατο τη? μητ?ρα? τη? ?ταν ?ταν παιδ?, ο?τε και του συζ?γου τη?. Περισσ?τερο θεωρ? ?τι σημαδε?τηκε απ? την απ?ρριψη και την αδιαφορ?α του συζ?γου και τη ζ?λια που τη? καλλιεργο?σε.
Ε?ναι μια πολ? ?ξυπνη γυνα?κα που αναζητε? τη συναισθηματικ? ?νταση. Δεν την βρ?σκω αθ?α. Κρ?βει την πραγματικ?τητα ακ?μα και στο ημερολ?γιο τη?, ε?δε την αδυναμ?α του πεθερο? σε αυτ?ν και το εκμεταλλε?τηκε για να εδραι?σει μια καλ? θ?ση στην ιεραρχ?α τη? οικογ?νεια?.
?χει αυτ? περ?εργη αντ?ληψη για τον ?ρωτα. Ε?ναι εκδικητικ?, χαιρ?κακη.
?σα β?ωσε απ? τον σ?ζυγο που την απατο?σε και αυτ? πονο?σε τα περν?ει στο επ?μενο αντικε?μενο του ?ρωτα τη?.
Καταβ?λει κ?θε προσπ?θεια ?στε να προκαλ?σει π?νο στον εαυτ? τη? πριν προλ?βει να τη? τον προκαλ?σει το πρ?σωπο που την ενδιαφ?ρει.
Θ?λοντα? να μην πληγωθε? και προδοθε?, προτιμ? να π?ρει εκδ?κηση με τρ?πο καταστροφικ?.
January 1, 2020
Bu kitapta, di?er kitaplar?ndan farkl? bir Mi?ima hissettim. Di?er kitaplar?nda, tart??mak istedi?i ahlaki ve felsefi sorunlar? olay ?rgüsü i?inde vurgulamaya ?al???rken, bu anlat?m?nda bir?ok b?lümde daha ?ok do?rudan ifade etmeyi tercih etmi?.
Etsuko, Mi?ima’n?n di?er eserlerinde de kar??la?t???m?z y?k?c? tutkuya/inanca sahip karakterler gibi marjinal. Karakterin hissetti?i k?skan?l?k, ac? ve haz aras?ndaki ba?, belirsiz olas? olumsuz sonu?lar?na ra?men, ayr?lmaz niteli?e bürünmü?, sonu?; mutlak mukadderat.
Bu tür karakterleri Mi?ima’n?n anlat?m? e?siz.
“...Sessizlik belirli bir süreden fazla sürdü?ünde, kendine yeni bir anlam yüklenir. ...’, sf; 130
Etsuko, Mi?ima’n?n di?er eserlerinde de kar??la?t???m?z y?k?c? tutkuya/inanca sahip karakterler gibi marjinal. Karakterin hissetti?i k?skan?l?k, ac? ve haz aras?ndaki ba?, belirsiz olas? olumsuz sonu?lar?na ra?men, ayr?lmaz niteli?e bürünmü?, sonu?; mutlak mukadderat.
Bu tür karakterleri Mi?ima’n?n anlat?m? e?siz.
“...Sessizlik belirli bir süreden fazla sürdü?ünde, kendine yeni bir anlam yüklenir. ...’, sf; 130
November 19, 2021
Yine can yay?nlar?n?n arka kapakta mübala?ay? abartt??? bir kitap daha. Sebebi, saplant? sars?nt? ?iddet ?ehvet VAR DA, bunlar? OKUMUYORUZ. Tuhafl?k ve sapk?nl?k da g?remedim ben. Hatr? say?l?r asya (dediysem de ?in-japonya-kore) sinemas? ehlivukufu olarak biliyorum hangi sularda yüzebilece?imizi / bo?ulabilece?imizi. Edebiyat?na yeni ad?m att?m. ?ok heyejanland?m, izledi?im kadar okumak da istedim. Olmad?. Olsun. Olur elbet. (Ol bayatlatmas?) Yak???kl?m Mishima'dan umudum var. Herifin hayat? da ?ok enteresan. Malzememiz var gibi.
"Kensuke ve kar?s?n?n, tüm s?k?c? insanlarda oldu?u gibi, hastal??a e?de?er bir cana yak?nl?klar? vard?. Dedikoducu ve sald?rgan bir cana yak?nl?k: Ta?ra insanlar?na ?zgü bu iki ?zellik, onlar fark?nda bile olmadan, Kensuke'yle kar?s?na i?lemi?ti bile. Di?er bir de?i?le, ele?tiri ve ??üt verme denilen üst s?n?f kamuflaj?na."
Ama kitap ?ahane. Roman?n bir tan?m? olsa bu olurdu. Betimlemeler, tahliller, kurgu in?aas?, yan karakterlerin gücü,,, kasmadan, ?aba kokmadan, hashalis bir kitap. (Hashalis diye bir kelime yok, ben birle?tirdim. ?bür türlü istedi?im gibi peki?tiremiyorum anlam? sanki. felan.) Kas?m edit: ??yle bir not alm???m telefona 'Roller, iktidarlar, düzenler, s?n?flar, g?revler.... Kitab?n sakin atmosferi inan?lmaz geriyor insan?....' Edit bitti.
"Benim i?in ya?am?n zorlu?u beni koruyan z?rh?mdan ba?ka bir ?ey de?ildir."
bu kitab?n ??yle bir an?s? var, balkonda okurken b?rakt?m orda, rüzgardan a??lm?? kitap, ü? be? gün güne? alt?nda kald? sayfalar. sonra bir gün f?rt?na ??kt?, kitap ba?tan a?a?? ?sland?. ba?l?k sayfas? ?ok güzel g?züküyor.
August 11, 2022
Although a big fan of Mishima, I had not read this one before. Came to my attention through a Criterion Collection dvd, The Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara. Apparently, this warped director and this strange novel were a delirious match. I then read the novel, and Mishima's version is even more twisted that the movie version. I suppose, with a moment’s reflection, one should have predicted that.
In this book, a daughter-in-law lives with her absent husband’s family, and she develops an obsession for a young labourer. Layers of metaphor, class boundaries, deceit, and unspeakable behaviour. The gift of a pair of socks, a bit too luxurious for the labourer (and therefore suspicious) is a big plot point.
This short novel, together with , are Mishima’s most accessible and straightforward works.
I always wonder, when reading authors like Mishima when they write about sexually repressed females and their male objects of obsession, if really perhaps he wants to be writing about something else. Oh well, I guess he couldn't write over and over again.
In this book, a daughter-in-law lives with her absent husband’s family, and she develops an obsession for a young labourer. Layers of metaphor, class boundaries, deceit, and unspeakable behaviour. The gift of a pair of socks, a bit too luxurious for the labourer (and therefore suspicious) is a big plot point.
This short novel, together with , are Mishima’s most accessible and straightforward works.
I always wonder, when reading authors like Mishima when they write about sexually repressed females and their male objects of obsession, if really perhaps he wants to be writing about something else. Oh well, I guess he couldn't write over and over again.
May 7, 2011
I wasn't really feeling this until the scene at the shrine festival, where something cracks and the story falls into place as Saburo mans up and gets sexy. Before then, vague Etsuko appears to be lusting after a pre-pubescent half-wit.
I thought Etsuko came through the story rather well, considering everything that happens to her. I assume she's the defence's star witness when Mishima is accused of misogyny? When Saburo said "I love you" to avoid an awkward conversation, I thought "the dumb cow's going to fall for it!" but she was ahead of me and read the situation the best.
Yakichi, however, is further proof that Mishima just hates old people.
Although the Sugimoto family have land and staff, there's something strangely suburban about the location and attitudes. The women are always cooking or washing-up and we hear about the order in which they take their baths. It feels like the first Mishima I've read set in the commuter belt. I liked Kensuke and Chieko and their commentary on their suburban nightmare.
Things I learnt from this book:
a) There's a fruit called "pomelo".
b) The Takarazuka all-female musical theatre company is named after the Hankyu-Takarazuka railway line.
"Yakichi said 'Why were you in his room?'
'I went to look for his diary'
Yakichi's mouth moved indistinctly. He said nothing more."
"'Sometimes jiltings run in series – like miscarriages. Her nervous system has just got into the habit of it, I suppose, and when she falls in love it has to end in a miscarriage.'"
"People who only wear ready-made clothes are apt to doubt the very existence of tailors."
"The magnitude of pain leads people to believe in the indestructability of the body."
"'But why, why, did you kill him?'
'He was making me suffer, that's why.'
'But it wasn't his fault.'
'Not his fault? That's not so. He got what he deserved for hurting me. Nobody has the right to cause me pain. Nobody can get away with that.'
'Who says they can't?'
'I say so. And what I say, no one can change.'
'You’re a terrifying woman.'"
I thought Etsuko came through the story rather well, considering everything that happens to her. I assume she's the defence's star witness when Mishima is accused of misogyny? When Saburo said "I love you" to avoid an awkward conversation, I thought "the dumb cow's going to fall for it!" but she was ahead of me and read the situation the best.
Yakichi, however, is further proof that Mishima just hates old people.
Although the Sugimoto family have land and staff, there's something strangely suburban about the location and attitudes. The women are always cooking or washing-up and we hear about the order in which they take their baths. It feels like the first Mishima I've read set in the commuter belt. I liked Kensuke and Chieko and their commentary on their suburban nightmare.
Things I learnt from this book:
a) There's a fruit called "pomelo".
b) The Takarazuka all-female musical theatre company is named after the Hankyu-Takarazuka railway line.
"Yakichi said 'Why were you in his room?'
'I went to look for his diary'
Yakichi's mouth moved indistinctly. He said nothing more."
"'Sometimes jiltings run in series – like miscarriages. Her nervous system has just got into the habit of it, I suppose, and when she falls in love it has to end in a miscarriage.'"
"People who only wear ready-made clothes are apt to doubt the very existence of tailors."
"The magnitude of pain leads people to believe in the indestructability of the body."
"'But why, why, did you kill him?'
'He was making me suffer, that's why.'
'But it wasn't his fault.'
'Not his fault? That's not so. He got what he deserved for hurting me. Nobody has the right to cause me pain. Nobody can get away with that.'
'Who says they can't?'
'I say so. And what I say, no one can change.'
'You’re a terrifying woman.'"
June 5, 2018
Mishima followed up
with a book that was purposefully completely different. From the first-person coming of age tale of a young queer man to a third-person story of a woman who is lusted after by her dead husband's father. It's a departure in every sense.
This book is far too conventional for Mishima. It doesn't seem to include any of his trademarks and any trace of the Mishima we know and adore seems to be missing here. The novel itself is fine. The story trundles along and there are admirable parts (especially the ending) but not much else. It's a shame.
This book is far too conventional for Mishima. It doesn't seem to include any of his trademarks and any trace of the Mishima we know and adore seems to be missing here. The novel itself is fine. The story trundles along and there are admirable parts (especially the ending) but not much else. It's a shame.
October 22, 2022
They say you have to try something three times to determine if you like it or not and after my third attempt at the Japanese novella I have determined I do not. Maybe I have chosen badly but the three I read all deal with the same subject. Unhappy marriages that are suffered in silence with the interference of extended family. Granted this is more or less the plot of many works of literature but the Japanese style is devoid of passion (maybe not devoid but unexpressed at least) and so I found it too detached to invest in. Etsuko’s infatuation with the young servant has no glowing embers and is expressed through the medium of socks (not a typo) which we see her buying as a gift for him. This could be where it lost me in all honesty as I hate socks with a loathing verging on phobic. I need women threatening to throw themselves off buildings, the renting of clothes not a umm and ahh in the market place about whether to go for the brown or blue pair.
The one thing I will say I thought was good about it was the irony of Etsuko’s young infatuee viewing her as a woman bordering a decade older than himself in the same way she views her father-in-law – as slightly ridiculous for having any sexual urges at all and not someone he can consider in a romantic way.
Not a terrible book but one that you’re not going to regret not having read.
The one thing I will say I thought was good about it was the irony of Etsuko’s young infatuee viewing her as a woman bordering a decade older than himself in the same way she views her father-in-law – as slightly ridiculous for having any sexual urges at all and not someone he can consider in a romantic way.
Not a terrible book but one that you’re not going to regret not having read.
January 21, 2020
Kocas? tifodan ?lünce gen? ya??nda dul kalan Etsuko'nun hayattaki belki tek tesellisi kay?n pederinin hizmet?isi Saburo'ya olan a?k?. Fakat bu a?k bir süre sonra saplant?l? bir hal almaya ba?l?yor. Tam da bu esnada kitap, elimizde baya?? bir a?k roman? olmaktan insan?n i?indeki ücra k??elerine saklanm?? karanl??? ortaya ??karan Mi?ima eserine evriliyor.
October 1, 2022
This book is filled with ferocious emotion. Mishima sees language as a color palette, sees how words sculpt and blend into a clear image of affect and dread, and every one of his pictures, however subdued or simple, comes through with an emotional clarity and sincerity that floored me more than once.
February 24, 2021
Pe c?t de relativ bulversant? a fost de-a lungul ei pe at?t de nea?teptat a fost finalul care a venit ca o s?geat? de absolut nic?ieri ?i te-a nimerit fix.
?Abia c?nd se dezbrac? ??i dai seama c?t de fragil? e individualitatea oamenilor. A?a vezi c? ar fi suficiente doar patru feluri de g?ndire: g?ndire de om gras, g?ndire de om slab, g?ndire de lungan ?i g?ndire de bondoc. ?i fe?ele toate au doar doi ochi ?i c?te un nas ?i-o gur?. Nu e nimeni cu un singur ochi. Chiar ?i chipul cu cele mai particulare tr?s?turi nu serve?te dec?t s? simbolizeze diferen?a dintre el ?i altul.”
?Dragostea nu ?nseamn? dec?t un simbol care iube?te alt simbol. Iubirea carnal? ?nseamn? anonimitate care iube?te anonimitatea. O ?mperechere unisexuat? ?ntre haos ?i haos, impersonal ?i impersonal. F?r? masculinitate sau feminitate.”
?Pentru el, termenul acesta f?cea parte dintr-un vocabular ?ndep?rtat, luxos, f?cut pe comand?. Avea ?n el ceva care prisosea, ceva for?at ?i care nu era cu nimic grabnic. ?n rela?ia zorit? care ?i lega pe el ?i pe Miyo, o rela?ie nu neap?rat menit? s? dureze o ve?nicie, ?n care doi magne?i se atrag doar pentru c? au intrat unul ?n raza celuilalt, dar care ?nceteaz? s? se mai atrag? imediat ce ies ?n afara ei, cuv?ntul iubire nu-?i avea nicidecum locul.”
?Suferin?a ?ndelungat? te proste?te. Dar cei prosti?i de suferin?? nu se mai ?ndoiesc de fericire atunci c?nd au parte de ea.”
Read
January 24, 2022
Η πρ?τη μου επαφ? με Μ?σιμα.
Μου ?ρεσε η γραφ? του; Ναι.
Μου ?ρεσε η ιστορ?α; ?χι.
Παρ?λο που ?ταν ?μορφη η γραφ?, η ρο? τη? υπ?θεση? προχωρο?σε αργ?. Το δε τ?λο? ?ταν το κερασ?κι στην το?ρτα τη? απογο?τευση?.
Το βρ?κα απ?τομο, χωρ?? αιτιολογ?α, και παρ?λογο. ?νιωσα ?τι ?ταν ?να τρικ του συγγραφ?α για να προκαλ?σει ?ντονα συναισθ?ματα στον αναγν?στη.
Και μου προκ?λεσε, ?χι ?μω? εκε?να που ε?χε πρ?θεση να προκαλ?σει ο συγγραφ?α?.
Οι τελευτα?ε? αυτ?? σελ?δε? του βιβλ?ου μοι?ζουν ?πω? η τελευτα?α σεζ?ν του Game of Thrones και ειδικ? τα τελευτα?α 2 επεισ?δια. Η απ?τομη αλλαγ? τη? Ντεν?ρι? απ? Σωτ?ρα σε Παρ?φρονα ?γινε σε πολ? σ?ντομο χρονικ? δι?στημα για να δικαιολογηθε?.
Μια σεζ?ν που δικαιολογημ?να π?ρε βαθμολογ?α 55% σε αντ?θεση με τι? προηγο?μενε? που π?ραν ?λε? ανεξαιρ?τω? βαθμολογ?α 90%+.
?τσι και εδ? η πρ?ξη τη? διψασμ?νη? για ?ρωτα Ετσο?κο δε?χνει ?τι διψο?σε για αποδοχ? ?χι ?ρωτα.
Και φυσικ? δεν συνδ?θηκα με καν?να απ? του? αχ?νευτου? χαρακτ?ρε? του βιβλ?ου.
Εξαιρε?ται η ?μορφη περιγραφ? τη? π?λη? τη? Οσ?κα και τη? ζω?? την τ?τε εποχ?.
Και φυσικ? θα συνεχ?σω και με ?λλο Μ?σιμα στο μ?λλον.
ΒΑΘΜΟΛΟΓΙΑ
Χαρακτ?ρε?: 4/10
Γραφ?: 8/10
Αναγνωσιμ?τητα: 7/10
Εμπειρ?α: 5/10
Ιστορ?α: 5/10
Σ?νολο: 5.8--> 2.9 stars ★★★
August 2, 2021
Bought this book in an attempt to diversify my reading genre and because it was Japanese lit.
But hell, I still sucks at reading classics?
I was introduced to Mishima’s writing style that was complex and full of metaphors. Sort of.
I also had a discussion with @dayanreads about how to read Mishima’s works. It was a fruitful conversation with her?
This book followed a story of a young widow, Etsuko, who lived with her father in law after her husband Ryosuke died.
And she fell in love with Saburo, a young male servant that worked in her father in law’s house.
She also lived with her other in laws in the Sugimoto’s house which is her in laws’ surname. Her other in laws however, envied her as their father favoured her more.
She was suffering internally because of her philandering husband (when he was alive)and she also had to submit to her father-in-law’s lustrous desire.
Worst, her unrequited love towards Saburo went unnoticed by the indifferent guy!
As far as I understood, Etsuko was a complex character surrounded by a diverse characters’ behaviours. It was also hard to guess what kind of a woman she was.
The story was told in a third person omniscient (the all-knowing narrator).
In terms of the plot, it was quite slow and monotonous for me as it centered around the internal conflict of Etsuko.
I was truly shocked by the plot twist. I didn’t see it coming and I never expected that she did that. What a complicated and miserable woman!
I acknowledged that Mishima’s work was such a gem. Perhaps I need to reread this in the future and savour it word by word.
But hell, I still sucks at reading classics?
I was introduced to Mishima’s writing style that was complex and full of metaphors. Sort of.
I also had a discussion with @dayanreads about how to read Mishima’s works. It was a fruitful conversation with her?
This book followed a story of a young widow, Etsuko, who lived with her father in law after her husband Ryosuke died.
And she fell in love with Saburo, a young male servant that worked in her father in law’s house.
She also lived with her other in laws in the Sugimoto’s house which is her in laws’ surname. Her other in laws however, envied her as their father favoured her more.
She was suffering internally because of her philandering husband (when he was alive)and she also had to submit to her father-in-law’s lustrous desire.
Worst, her unrequited love towards Saburo went unnoticed by the indifferent guy!
As far as I understood, Etsuko was a complex character surrounded by a diverse characters’ behaviours. It was also hard to guess what kind of a woman she was.
The story was told in a third person omniscient (the all-knowing narrator).
In terms of the plot, it was quite slow and monotonous for me as it centered around the internal conflict of Etsuko.
I was truly shocked by the plot twist. I didn’t see it coming and I never expected that she did that. What a complicated and miserable woman!
I acknowledged that Mishima’s work was such a gem. Perhaps I need to reread this in the future and savour it word by word.
November 11, 2017
Sete de iubire este un roman cutremur?tor despre dragoste ?i nep?sare, despre puterea necru??toare a geloziei, despre dorin?? ?i respingere, pe scurt despre o femeie care dore?te totul ?i nu poate ierta nici c?nd i se ofer? o parte din lucrul la care r?vne?te, pentru c? simte minciuna ce se ascunde ?n spate lui. Etsuko este o figur? tragic?, prins? ?ntre minte ?i trup, dar care nu ??i folose?te puterea dec?t pentru a fr?nge destine, iar povestea ei este impresionant? tocmai prin simplitatea cu care sunt prezentate evenimentele ?n mijlocul peisajului idilic al unei Japonii marcate de r?zboi.
May 13, 2021
"Hers was a cruel, heartless punishment. Moreover, it was a punishment imposed by herself."
Even though it's short, this was a really slow book. It took a lot of time to build up, which I understand why but I was still kinda bored at the beginning.
I liked the writing. I can't talk about the translation since I don't know Japanese and it won't make sense for me to make comparisons. It was mostly understandable, but I felt lost at times. Not sure if it was the writing or the translation.
The last 10 pages or so were what gripped me the most. Yes, it all happened way too quickly but it was the best part of the book.
Even though it's short, this was a really slow book. It took a lot of time to build up, which I understand why but I was still kinda bored at the beginning.
I liked the writing. I can't talk about the translation since I don't know Japanese and it won't make sense for me to make comparisons. It was mostly understandable, but I felt lost at times. Not sure if it was the writing or the translation.
The last 10 pages or so were what gripped me the most. Yes, it all happened way too quickly but it was the best part of the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 819 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.