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343rd out of 348 books
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The Life of an Amorous...
The Life of an Amorous Man
A story of erotic adventure by one of Japan's most celebrated and outspoken novelists.
'The Life of an Amorous Man' is Saikaku's first major work in prose, published in 1682, when he was forty-one. In this novel, as in his later works, he depicts the pursuits and follies of the most glamorous period of old Japan: the dawn of the Genroku era, when the wealthy commoners, risi...more
'The Life of an Amorous Man' is Saikaku's first major work in prose, published in 1682, when he was forty-one. In this novel, as in his later works, he depicts the pursuits and follies of the most glamorous period of old Japan: the dawn of the Genroku era, when the wealthy commoners, risi...more
Paperback, 233 pages
Published
2002
by Book-of-the-Month Club (QPB)
(first published January 1st 1682)
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Our hero's mostly straight, but the first time he has sex it is with a handsome young actor who has just returned from Kochi Prefecture!
The amorous man subsequently spent a lot of time on the road and I kept hoping he'd visit Kochi. But he didn't. Zannen!
Here's that quote about wolves and cherry blossoms that's always popping up in my Mishima reading:
"Dallying with these youths is like seeing wolves asleep beneath scattering cherry blossoms, whereas going to bed with prostitutes gives one the f...more
The amorous man subsequently spent a lot of time on the road and I kept hoping he'd visit Kochi. But he didn't. Zannen!
Here's that quote about wolves and cherry blossoms that's always popping up in my Mishima reading:
"Dallying with these youths is like seeing wolves asleep beneath scattering cherry blossoms, whereas going to bed with prostitutes gives one the f...more
Mar 19, 2009
Gertrude & Victoria
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
japanese-library
Ihara Saikaku's timeless masterpiece,The Life of an Amorous Man, is the story of Yonosuke, a man of ambition and vision. It is a vivacious and humorous work, but not without solemnity and meaning. The greatness of Saikaku is that he impresses without being didactic and illuminates without being heavy-handed.
Yonosuke, a man of immense wealth and priviledge status, pursues a carefree life of sensual pleasure usually reserved for kings, emperors and tyrants. He sets forth on a journey that takes hi...more
Yonosuke, a man of immense wealth and priviledge status, pursues a carefree life of sensual pleasure usually reserved for kings, emperors and tyrants. He sets forth on a journey that takes hi...more
Saikaku is well known for his then-risque portrayals of the ukiyo - the floating world - of shogunal Japan. This particular book follows the life of a lustful merchant named Yonosuke, "man of the world." It is filled with harlots, courtesans, destitutes and the rich. Like most classical Japanese literature, it only alludes to liasons, discarding explicit phrasing for what the mind must produce. Despite this rather sore (to modern views) lack of scintillating sex, it's still an enjoyable read.
From my point of view, a quirky little book, written in the 17th century, documenting one man's amorous adventures. I wondered why I was reading about a get who from infancy can only focus on women. But in the end, I savored the detailed descriptions of Japan's pleasure districts, traditions, and courtesans, what they wore, what they ate, how they behaved, their ontourage.
Dig it: a Kerouac from 17th century Japan. Dig the dodgy tea houses, the amorous women, the reprobate lifestyle that coaxes you from the discipline of Buddhism. Dig the liaisons with male prostitutes.
Great read. Wish that English speaking writers from that period wrote with that level of candor.
Great read. Wish that English speaking writers from that period wrote with that level of candor.
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May 16, 2013
AniAngel
is currently reading it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
japanese-literature
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Nov 25, 2012
Valerie
marked it as to-read
Nov 23, 2012
Maryam
marked it as to-read
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Ihara Saikaku (井原 西鶴) was a Japanese poet and creator of the "floating world" genre of Japanese prose (ukiyo-zōshi).
Born the son of the wealthy merchant Hirayama Tōgo (平山藤五) in Osaka, he first studied haikai poetry under Matsunaga Teitoku, and later studied under Nishiyama Sōin of the Danrin School of poetry, which emphasized comic linked verse. Scholars have described numerous extraordinary feats...more
More about Ihara Saikaku...
Born the son of the wealthy merchant Hirayama Tōgo (平山藤五) in Osaka, he first studied haikai poetry under Matsunaga Teitoku, and later studied under Nishiyama Sōin of the Danrin School of poetry, which emphasized comic linked verse. Scholars have described numerous extraordinary feats...more
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