Sun and Steel
Product ID: 502967127
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In this fascinating document, one of Japan's best known-and controversial-writers created what might be termed a new literary form. It is new because it combines elements of many existing types of writing, yet in the end fits into none of them. At one level, it may be read as an account of how a puny, bookish boy discovered the importance of his own physical being; the "sun and steel" of the title are themselves symbols respectively of the cult of the open air and the weights used in bodybuilding. At another level, it is a discussion by a major novelist of the relation between action and art, and his own highly polished art in particular. More personally, it is an account of one individual's search for identity and self-integration. Or again, the work could be seen as a demonstration of how an intensely individual preoccupation can be developed into a profound philosophy of life. All these elements are woven together by Mishima's complex yet polished and supple style. The confession and the self-analysis, the philosophy and the poetry combine in the end to create something that is in itself perfect and self-sufficient. It is a piece of literature that is as carefully fashioned as Mishima's novels, and at the same time provides an indispensable key to the understanding of them as art. The road Mishima took to salvation is a highly personal one. Yet here, ultimately, one detects the unmistakable tones of a self transcending the particular and attaining to a poetic vision of the universal. The book is therefore a moving document, and is highly significant as a pointer to the future development of one of the most interesting novelists of modern times.
| Country Of Origin | India |
| Dimensions | 15.24 x 0.66 x 22.86 cm |
| Generic Name | Book |
| Importer | Bookswagon, 2/13 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002, [email protected], 01140159253 |
| Isbn 10 | 6159424645 |
| Isbn 13 | 978-6159424645 |
| Item Weight | 172 g |
| Language | English |
| Packer | Bookswagon, 2/13 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002, [email protected], 01140159253 |
| Print Length | 110 pages |
| Publication Date | 2 January 1970 |
| Publisher | Lyle Stuart |
User
Do book is like cheap copy paste
I still didnt readi cant even find the real sun and steel book they dont sell itim still gratefull for this book
User
Formating Sucks. Almost Unreadable.
Really bad formating. The font is horrible together with its size, which makes theformating of this edition eye-damaging.The book itself is interesting, a transition from the world of Words, to the absolute realm of the Flesh. If you're going to buy this, do yourself a favor and buy another edition.
User
Much needed words for a modern society in decay
The font used in the translation here wasn't the best but the content is highly inspiring.Reshape yourself. Make the body and mind into one.
User
Props to Mishima, a philosopher who walked his talk
This book is a literary type that was once common in Japan, the self-obsessive partial memoir. But Mishima's style, tone, and content are absolutely unique.He writes about the relation between world and word, body and mind or spirit. But to me, the most interesting aspect of this book, and Mishima's whole outlook is something that's often overlooked. It is this, he could not stand ugliness. He shrank from (his own perception of) ugliness as we would from a rabid rat. So then, how did he define beauty and ugliness? You may call it shallow but no matter, this book makes no apologies: beauty or ugliness lie in physical appearance, body and face.To most of us there are many kinds of beauty, and maybe that multi-perception keeps us going - we see or imagine the beauty of inner virtue, selfless giving, artistic projection, humility or humor and so on. A wide expansive definition.But there's room on your bookshelf for somebody who takes an uncompromising view: beauty is the beauty of your body and your appearance. While it can be crafted and guided by external method (who knows what Mishima would have thought of the cosmetic surgery craze now sweeping China), ultimately physical beauty to him is the only important projection of the soul.The insanely monomaniacal American football coach Vince Lombardi once said "Winning isn't everything - it's the only thing". This book, despite all its meandering and subtle threads, is really saying just that, about beauty - it's the only thing. And Mishima, at mid-life, was losing all illusions about attaining or retaining any personal beauty.Of course what sheds the interesting backlight on this book for most readers is Mishima's dramatic seppuku at Ichigaya Japan self-defense force headquarters. (Reminds me of the wit who stated, when informed of Sylvia Plath's suicide, "Good career move".) People read this book to try to unravel the mystery of it.But in light of what I've said above, about beauty and Mishima's uniquely narrow definition of it, this book leaves no mystery to his action. Just as Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray slashed the ugliness accumulated on his horribly aging portrait, Mishima, lacking a magic painting, did just the same to his own body - sentenced it to death for the crimes of aging and ugliness.It is entirely summed up by the following single line from 'Sun and Steel':"I had already lost the morning face that belongs to youth alone."
User
Shattered sword of philosophy
Mishima's 'Sun & Steel' is a perplexing journey into the mind of an undoubtedly impressive, yet deeply troubled individual. His philosophy of life, as presented in this work, is as convoluted as it is disturbing, offering a glimpse into a psyche that is as fascinating as it is fractured.While it might have been beneficial to read 'Confessions of a Mask' beforehand for some context, I find myself hesitant to delve further into Mishima's world. The allure of 'Sun & Steel' is akin to a mirage in the desert - it glimmers enticingly from afar, but upon closer inspection, it's clear that not all that glitters is gold... or steel... or sun.
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