Art's review
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion
by Yukio Mishima
Art's review
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima
Art's review
rating:
This was the first book by Mishima for me. It is poetic and complex with beautifully written passages and deep multilayered but unlikable characters. The psychological dynamics of the central protagonist seem unfathomable at times, and I have to wonder whether this is the result of a cultural difference (from the original Japanese -- and my wife read it in that language, her native tongue, but we still don't know) or the fact that the character is, by definition, messed up. Based on a true story about a young priest who burned down Kinkakuji -- the Golden Temple in Kyoto. Creating a weird forboding aura around the whole novel is the "legend" of Mishima himself, an author who committed ritual suicide in 1970. All these swirling forces add background color to a novel that is often gripping in its sheer mysteriousness of impulse.
Question with Spoiler (of sorts): At the end, does his desire to live represent an end to his cynicism, a willingness to come to terms with our h...more
Question with Spoiler (of sorts): At the end, does his desire to live represent an end to his cynicism, a willingness to come to terms with our h...more
