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Five by Endo
Five wonderful stories by the Japanese master. Winner of every major Japanese literary prize, his work translated around the globe, Shusaku Endo (1923-1996) is a great and unique figure in the literature of the twentient century. "Irrevocably enmeshed in Japanese culture, he is by virtue of his religion [Endo was Roman Catholic] irrevocably alienated from it" (Geoffrey O'Brian, Village Voice). It is this aspect that has made Endo so particularly intriguing to his readership at home and abroad. Now gathered in a New Directions Bibelot edition are five of Endo's supreme short stories exemplifying his style and his interests, presenting, as it were, Endo in a nutshell. "Unzen," the opening story, touches on the subject of Silence Endo's most famous novel -- that is the torture and martyrdom of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan. Next comes "A Fifty-year-old Man" in which Mr. Chiba takes up ballroom dancing and faces the imminent death of his brother and his dog Whitey. In "Japanese in Warsaw" a business man has a strange encounter; in "The Box," an old photo album and a few postcards have a tale to reveal. Finally included is "The Case of Isobe," the opening chapter of Endo's novel Deep River in which Isobe, a member of a tour group, hopes to find in India the reincarnation of the wife he took so much for granted.
84 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
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452 people want to read
About the author
Shūsaku Endō
384 books1,046 followersShusaku Endo (遠藤周作), born in Tokyo in 1923, was raised by his mother and an aunt in Kobe where he converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of eleven. At Tokyo's Keio University he majored in French literature, graduating BA in 1949, before furthering his studies in French Catholic literature at the University of Lyon in France between 1950 and 1953. A major theme running through his books, which have been translated into many languages, including English, French, Russian and Swedish, is the failure of Japanese soil to nurture the growth of Christianity. Before his death in 1996, Endo was the recipient of a number of outstanding Japanese literary awards: the Akutagawa Prize, Mainichi Cultural Prize, Shincho Prize, and Tanizaki Prize.
(from the backcover of Volcano).
(from the backcover of Volcano).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 25, 2020
Five short stories by this Catholic Japanese author (1923-1996). I have read his novel, Silence, about early (1600’s) Catholic missionaries in Japan and three of these stories have a Christian orientation.
The first short story in this book, Uzen, seems to be a preliminary story to that novel, Silence. It goes into detail with names of missionaries, dates, and scholarly books about the history of early Catholicism in Japan. The story is about a contemporary man retracing the footsteps of Christian martyrs who were tortured and executed.
Japanese in Warsaw centers around a Franciscan Friar, Father Kolbe, who founded a monastery in Japan and returned to Poland. He was imprisoned at Auschwitz and voluntarily gave up his life as a substitute for another prisoner who had a wife and children. The story is not about the priest, per se, but about a visiting Japanese man who learns about Kolbe. In the story, The Box, a man attaches religious meaning to a collection of random postcards he buys at an antique shop.
In Isobe, a man’s wife is dying of cancer. In that day and in that culture, both the doctor and her husband think they are hiding her fatal diagnosis from the woman. She knows of course and talks about believing in reincarnation.
In A Fifty-Year-Old Man, the main character comes to believe that his dog dies in place of his very ill older brother.
These are interesting stories with imaginative plots but I didn’t see a lot of evidence of the great writing Endo was known for. So these may be odds and ends. At least one story, copyrighted after the author’s death, was not intended to be a short story – it was the first chapter of an intended novel.
Sketch of Christian martyrs in Japan from wikimedia.org
German stamp honoring Father Kolbe from wikipedia
Photo of the author from gettyimages.com
The first short story in this book, Uzen, seems to be a preliminary story to that novel, Silence. It goes into detail with names of missionaries, dates, and scholarly books about the history of early Catholicism in Japan. The story is about a contemporary man retracing the footsteps of Christian martyrs who were tortured and executed.
Japanese in Warsaw centers around a Franciscan Friar, Father Kolbe, who founded a monastery in Japan and returned to Poland. He was imprisoned at Auschwitz and voluntarily gave up his life as a substitute for another prisoner who had a wife and children. The story is not about the priest, per se, but about a visiting Japanese man who learns about Kolbe. In the story, The Box, a man attaches religious meaning to a collection of random postcards he buys at an antique shop.
In Isobe, a man’s wife is dying of cancer. In that day and in that culture, both the doctor and her husband think they are hiding her fatal diagnosis from the woman. She knows of course and talks about believing in reincarnation.
In A Fifty-Year-Old Man, the main character comes to believe that his dog dies in place of his very ill older brother.
These are interesting stories with imaginative plots but I didn’t see a lot of evidence of the great writing Endo was known for. So these may be odds and ends. At least one story, copyrighted after the author’s death, was not intended to be a short story – it was the first chapter of an intended novel.
Sketch of Christian martyrs in Japan from wikimedia.org
German stamp honoring Father Kolbe from wikipedia
Photo of the author from gettyimages.com
October 1, 2012
just plain great. some of the best stories i've read in ages. piercingly sad but somehow lightly done and beautiful. every story seemed almost accidentally perfect, just effortlessly tossed off, just happening to fall so true. "japanese in warsaw" especially.
picked this off a shelf in the used bookstore by accident; never even heard of this guy before. crazy world.
picked this off a shelf in the used bookstore by accident; never even heard of this guy before. crazy world.
January 10, 2010
A small book of only 84 pages, Five by Endo is a collection of 5 short stories that explore, among others, Christianity, death and history.
The first short story is Unzen, which follows Suguro, an author, as he travels to visit the site where Christians were tortured and executed in 17th century Japan. As he looks around, he is also making a spiritual journey, trying to identify his own beliefs.
Next is A Fifty-year-old Man, a story about how Chiba faces life, and how he deals with news that his brother and his dog, both so dear to him, are at the brink of death.
Japanese in Warsaw follows a group of Japanese tourists as they spend a few days in Warsaw. There, they meet a couple of people who mention Kolbe, a Christian Father most revered by the Polish. Kolbe's story or sacrifice and love is then related to them.
The Box is I think one of the longer stories in this collection. It tells of a person who found an antique box containing a copy of the Bible, and old photo album and some odd postcards. Following the tracks left by the postcards, the narrator meets an old man who once knew the lady to whom the box belonged. What follows is the story of the lady, and what happened to her during the war.
Last is The Case of Isobe, which apparently is the first chapter to Endo’s other novel, Deep River. Isobe’s wife has been diagnosed with cancer, and is told that she has only at most 3-4 months left to live. Right before she died, she whispered to her husband, telling him to look for her, as she is sure that she will be reborn. Isobe is hardly convinced, but soon after, he comes across a study on past lives.
The first short story is Unzen, which follows Suguro, an author, as he travels to visit the site where Christians were tortured and executed in 17th century Japan. As he looks around, he is also making a spiritual journey, trying to identify his own beliefs.
Next is A Fifty-year-old Man, a story about how Chiba faces life, and how he deals with news that his brother and his dog, both so dear to him, are at the brink of death.
Japanese in Warsaw follows a group of Japanese tourists as they spend a few days in Warsaw. There, they meet a couple of people who mention Kolbe, a Christian Father most revered by the Polish. Kolbe's story or sacrifice and love is then related to them.
The Box is I think one of the longer stories in this collection. It tells of a person who found an antique box containing a copy of the Bible, and old photo album and some odd postcards. Following the tracks left by the postcards, the narrator meets an old man who once knew the lady to whom the box belonged. What follows is the story of the lady, and what happened to her during the war.
Last is The Case of Isobe, which apparently is the first chapter to Endo’s other novel, Deep River. Isobe’s wife has been diagnosed with cancer, and is told that she has only at most 3-4 months left to live. Right before she died, she whispered to her husband, telling him to look for her, as she is sure that she will be reborn. Isobe is hardly convinced, but soon after, he comes across a study on past lives.
July 28, 2024
Sometimes you just need to read crazy Japanese short stories and be hit over the head with your own mortality, cowardice, and capacity for love.
March 28, 2009
I really wish this would have been called Twenty-eight by Endo but then the title wouldn't have appeared so zen and balanced as Five by Endo. I loved this small collection of shorts... melancholy, introspective, and so very refreshing. Nearly all of the stories dealt with old age, death, and faith... or a struggle with one's faith.
Unzen touched on the torture and martyrdom of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan. A Fifty-year-old Man introduces a Mr Chiba who while taking ballroom dancing to keep his spirit young and legs limber faces the death of his mongrel dog and older brother (my favorite in the collection). Japanese in Warsaw, one of the lighter and more humorous stories, still slams you with the power of faith and sacrifice. Retracing a story through old postcards found in an old wooden chest in the story called The Box reveals a mystery and surprise. And The Case of Isobe, the opening chapter of Endo's novel Deep River is a sad story of death and rebirth.
A truly great collection of stories I'd heartily recommend to everyone.
Haiku from the short story The Case of Isobe:
Not telling the truth
again today I went out
of the hospital
With a shudder, I
open my eyes and think of
life without my wife
Unzen touched on the torture and martyrdom of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan. A Fifty-year-old Man introduces a Mr Chiba who while taking ballroom dancing to keep his spirit young and legs limber faces the death of his mongrel dog and older brother (my favorite in the collection). Japanese in Warsaw, one of the lighter and more humorous stories, still slams you with the power of faith and sacrifice. Retracing a story through old postcards found in an old wooden chest in the story called The Box reveals a mystery and surprise. And The Case of Isobe, the opening chapter of Endo's novel Deep River is a sad story of death and rebirth.
A truly great collection of stories I'd heartily recommend to everyone.
Haiku from the short story The Case of Isobe:
Not telling the truth
again today I went out
of the hospital
With a shudder, I
open my eyes and think of
life without my wife
January 29, 2021
There cannot be much talk about plot and cleverness in this book of short stories, instead the narrative is clear and simple but not boring by any means. It ranges between 3 and 4 stars, and each story is a telling of particular part of someone's life, a trip or a pet. There is
a spiritual aspect in the stories that can be attributed to the author's faith, also a clarity often absent from Japanese literature which in my opinions favours obscure innuendo.
I really enjoyed this book.
a spiritual aspect in the stories that can be attributed to the author's faith, also a clarity often absent from Japanese literature which in my opinions favours obscure innuendo.
I really enjoyed this book.
September 19, 2013
A NYTBR reviewer wrote that Endo’s fiction has the “qualities of unsentimental sympathy.” I wish I’d come up with this description. If I had, I’d stop here; it really says about all that needs be said of these stories, but I’m in a musing, reflective mood, so I’ll continue.
I suppose it would be cliché to say Japanese writer’s work has quality of haiku, so I won’t, but the spareness and quiet but concentrated focus on smallest events in these stories do create effect of reading a haiku (so I guess I just did make that lazy comparison … ) At first, you think, hunh? You expect to “get” something so short and spare immediately, mistaking spareness and brevity for simplicity. In fact, the E’s stories have the opposite effect. My initial reaction upon finishing each story was, ‘well, ok, that seems pretty straightforward; no grand Joycean epiphany,” but gradually, over next few days, a story would start to hum and vibrate in my gut, just slightly at first, and then increasingly, like one of those electric, hand-held massage devices. The intensity of vibration slowly increases, though never to point of discomfort. No explosive zap of recognition that makes me jump, like an acupuncture needle hitting a sweet spot of qi. the humming and vibrating just gets stronger, spreading from gut to lungs, occasionally into the throat, a few fading reverberations buzzing the face and ears. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain the effect of these stories in abstract terms. These stories did not transport me to another world in the same manner that Bruno Schulz’s collection The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories did, but they did inhabit me, like welcome squatters hanging out on in my internal gut, knuckles rapping the spleen, feet tapping the liver. Some of them end rather quietly, on such a low-key note that I can’t decide if the “point” is an obvious one or an enigmatic one that rightfully resists easy paraphrase. Though lots of interesting things happen in these stories, it’s E’s tone that makes them so compelling. At first, the language seems almost dull, simplistic, flat – yes, that’s it, flat. the narrator does not express obvious emotion, but nonetheless, the stories swell with emotion. They are understated but – bold? graphic? insistent? relentless? inexorable? (none of these descriptors quite works … ) – at same time.
Since I seem insistent on comparing E’s writing to other art forms in Jap. culture, at the risk of invoking cultural stereotypes, then I would compare the tone in these stories to that of the movie “Departures,” about a young cellist who loses job with orchestra and secretly begins training in ancient practice of preparing the dead for traditional burial, directed by Yojiro Takita. (obviously this is no help to anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, but I do recommend it, nonetheless, and not just for comparative purposes)
Of course any good story merits rereading, but these ones in particular almost require rereading to appreciate fully E’s effects. Are they ‘great’ stories? Not sure yet. While I thought Schulz’s stories were great after one reading, I’m not ready to say that yet, after just a single reading of Endo. They are good, very good. I would rate the collection a 4.5 stars. They make me want to read some of Endo’s novels, in particular Silence, which deals with same subject of Christian martyrs as in opening story, “Unzen,” my favorite out of the collection. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of rereading Endo and Schulz back-to-back. Such different, almost opposite, tones and temperaments, but similar visions of menacing, corrupt world that offers moments of grace, however ephemeral or unrecognized.
I suppose it would be cliché to say Japanese writer’s work has quality of haiku, so I won’t, but the spareness and quiet but concentrated focus on smallest events in these stories do create effect of reading a haiku (so I guess I just did make that lazy comparison … ) At first, you think, hunh? You expect to “get” something so short and spare immediately, mistaking spareness and brevity for simplicity. In fact, the E’s stories have the opposite effect. My initial reaction upon finishing each story was, ‘well, ok, that seems pretty straightforward; no grand Joycean epiphany,” but gradually, over next few days, a story would start to hum and vibrate in my gut, just slightly at first, and then increasingly, like one of those electric, hand-held massage devices. The intensity of vibration slowly increases, though never to point of discomfort. No explosive zap of recognition that makes me jump, like an acupuncture needle hitting a sweet spot of qi. the humming and vibrating just gets stronger, spreading from gut to lungs, occasionally into the throat, a few fading reverberations buzzing the face and ears. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain the effect of these stories in abstract terms. These stories did not transport me to another world in the same manner that Bruno Schulz’s collection The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories did, but they did inhabit me, like welcome squatters hanging out on in my internal gut, knuckles rapping the spleen, feet tapping the liver. Some of them end rather quietly, on such a low-key note that I can’t decide if the “point” is an obvious one or an enigmatic one that rightfully resists easy paraphrase. Though lots of interesting things happen in these stories, it’s E’s tone that makes them so compelling. At first, the language seems almost dull, simplistic, flat – yes, that’s it, flat. the narrator does not express obvious emotion, but nonetheless, the stories swell with emotion. They are understated but – bold? graphic? insistent? relentless? inexorable? (none of these descriptors quite works … ) – at same time.
Since I seem insistent on comparing E’s writing to other art forms in Jap. culture, at the risk of invoking cultural stereotypes, then I would compare the tone in these stories to that of the movie “Departures,” about a young cellist who loses job with orchestra and secretly begins training in ancient practice of preparing the dead for traditional burial, directed by Yojiro Takita. (obviously this is no help to anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, but I do recommend it, nonetheless, and not just for comparative purposes)
Of course any good story merits rereading, but these ones in particular almost require rereading to appreciate fully E’s effects. Are they ‘great’ stories? Not sure yet. While I thought Schulz’s stories were great after one reading, I’m not ready to say that yet, after just a single reading of Endo. They are good, very good. I would rate the collection a 4.5 stars. They make me want to read some of Endo’s novels, in particular Silence, which deals with same subject of Christian martyrs as in opening story, “Unzen,” my favorite out of the collection. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of rereading Endo and Schulz back-to-back. Such different, almost opposite, tones and temperaments, but similar visions of menacing, corrupt world that offers moments of grace, however ephemeral or unrecognized.
June 5, 2012
This is a collection of five short stories which deal very much with the themes that Endo always deals with: christianity in Japan, Japanese foreigners soul-searching abroad, interconnection of animal and human lives and even particular details like growing up with a pet in Manchuria and leaving it or Kikujiro the weak-willed informer from Silence. The last "story" is in fact the first chapter of Deep River.
I must confess that before reading this book I already read The Sea and Poison, Silence and Deep River so I found little new material in this book. Endo's topics are so fascinating and important that I didn't mind hearing them rehashed in very similar ways. I can imagine a lot of people not agreeing with me on that one.
In short, this is a book for completists. It may function as a good introduction but I don't think it makes sense to start with this book and not a more obvious choice like Silence, Samurai or The Sea and Poison. The case for being a great author is made more convincingly there. I consider myself a completist and I love Endo's work (incuding this one) but I would hesitate to recommend it to a non-initiate.
I must confess that before reading this book I already read The Sea and Poison, Silence and Deep River so I found little new material in this book. Endo's topics are so fascinating and important that I didn't mind hearing them rehashed in very similar ways. I can imagine a lot of people not agreeing with me on that one.
In short, this is a book for completists. It may function as a good introduction but I don't think it makes sense to start with this book and not a more obvious choice like Silence, Samurai or The Sea and Poison. The case for being a great author is made more convincingly there. I consider myself a completist and I love Endo's work (incuding this one) but I would hesitate to recommend it to a non-initiate.
April 9, 2009
Five by Endo are reprsentative works of Endo Shusaku. The common theme among this small collection is how people cope with death and dying, whether it be there own or that of close relatives or others. It delves into the psychology of those affected, and the implications of the decisions made.
As most people familiar with Endo know, he was a writer with a faith in Christ. Despite this fact, he approaches and presents religious themes, among others, more objectively than most people, who do not know his works, might assume. He does not exhibit any pedagogic pretensions. There is no or very little pontification in any of his writing. His prose is lucid, intelligent, and compelling. This is an ideal starting point for those who want to sample Endo's enduring stories.
As most people familiar with Endo know, he was a writer with a faith in Christ. Despite this fact, he approaches and presents religious themes, among others, more objectively than most people, who do not know his works, might assume. He does not exhibit any pedagogic pretensions. There is no or very little pontification in any of his writing. His prose is lucid, intelligent, and compelling. This is an ideal starting point for those who want to sample Endo's enduring stories.
June 29, 2016
This was my first experience of Shusaku Endo.
It was good beginning.
Three of the stories in this volume address Christianity, something Endo writes about as no American could. In these stories, no one meets a living Christian. Instead, his characters encounter echoes of faith — in brittle photographs, secondhand stories, and the diaries of the long-dead. The secular Japan of Endo's stories is almost the inverse of Flannery O'Conner's Christ-haunted South, but even there, the memory of the saints quietly speaks.
Five by Endo is an honest, sometimes bleak, Christ-fraught, distinctly Japanese read. It's worth your time.
It was good beginning.
Three of the stories in this volume address Christianity, something Endo writes about as no American could. In these stories, no one meets a living Christian. Instead, his characters encounter echoes of faith — in brittle photographs, secondhand stories, and the diaries of the long-dead. The secular Japan of Endo's stories is almost the inverse of Flannery O'Conner's Christ-haunted South, but even there, the memory of the saints quietly speaks.
Five by Endo is an honest, sometimes bleak, Christ-fraught, distinctly Japanese read. It's worth your time.
September 10, 2017
thanks to hurricane irma I had the chance read all 5 in a row. I highly suggest reading this book just minus the hurricane.
February 4, 2013
Five by Endo is a collection of five short stories by Endo (Endo, Shusaku) and a great way to begin a reading relationship with the author.
For me, the best story in this collection is "The Box," but the story "The Case of Isobe" is a close second. The edition I have is translated into English by Van C. Gessel who is a scholar in East Asian Studies and Japanese. Gessel is also one of the main translators of Endo's work, which was important for me in choosing which translation of Five by Endo I would read.
Each short story feels complete as though you've read an entire book from cover-to-cover. The characters are detailed and the stories move slowly enough to savor the text, yet at just the right pace for a short story. It's a book that you will want to carry with you and read several times. After reading Five by Endo, I am more confident about reading one of Endo's longer works.
I also recommend reading an article by author Caryl Phillips about his encounter with Endo, "Confessions of a True Believer"--The Guardian--http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/...
For me, the best story in this collection is "The Box," but the story "The Case of Isobe" is a close second. The edition I have is translated into English by Van C. Gessel who is a scholar in East Asian Studies and Japanese. Gessel is also one of the main translators of Endo's work, which was important for me in choosing which translation of Five by Endo I would read.
Each short story feels complete as though you've read an entire book from cover-to-cover. The characters are detailed and the stories move slowly enough to savor the text, yet at just the right pace for a short story. It's a book that you will want to carry with you and read several times. After reading Five by Endo, I am more confident about reading one of Endo's longer works.
I also recommend reading an article by author Caryl Phillips about his encounter with Endo, "Confessions of a True Believer"--The Guardian--http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/...
May 20, 2018
A small collection of Endo's short stories, Five is both haunting and captivating in its understanding of human nature. Reading through the stories, I'm reminded of Charles Taylor's concept of enchantment, especially as it relates to the characters in the story who encounter Christianity and are unable to "shake off" the Christian imagination. "Japanese in Warsaw" is a great example of Christ's "haunting."
Highly recommend to those who have not read Endo before but want a short introduction to his works. For those who've read Silence before, one of the stories builds off of Kichijiro's perspective and compares him to a contemporary Japanese.
Highly recommend to those who have not read Endo before but want a short introduction to his works. For those who've read Silence before, one of the stories builds off of Kichijiro's perspective and compares him to a contemporary Japanese.
March 13, 2011
Unlike many Christian authors, Endo's works are never preachy. His characters are human beings -- men buying prostitutes every night while overseas, a wife who doesn't care about her husband's beloved dog, etc. Yet somehow all the stories allow the characters to show some goodness.
November 8, 2010
Very insightful and tangible.
January 5, 2016
as always I love anything written by Endo. This is a good introduction for anyone interested in his books.
October 4, 2021
Endo is something of an anomaly in Japan. He's one of the great writers of the modern era, a master of subtle and oblique style beloved in the Japanese language and high culture... and he was a Roman Catholic in a nation where only 1% of the population is Christian. His faith was a major theme in many of his works, some of these five short stories included.
The content of those five stories have been mentioned at length by other reviewers, so I'm going to just make a personal reader's note. I find it so strange that Endo, in his ever present wrestling with his Christian faith, wrote about it in such a quintessentially understated Japanese manner, while in contrast, Mishima wrote about returning to traditional Japanese mores in a literary style that was composed of the sturm und drang of the Western Literary canon.
4.5 out of 5 stars, mostly because I wanted more than 84 pages.
The content of those five stories have been mentioned at length by other reviewers, so I'm going to just make a personal reader's note. I find it so strange that Endo, in his ever present wrestling with his Christian faith, wrote about it in such a quintessentially understated Japanese manner, while in contrast, Mishima wrote about returning to traditional Japanese mores in a literary style that was composed of the sturm und drang of the Western Literary canon.
4.5 out of 5 stars, mostly because I wanted more than 84 pages.
Read
November 1, 2024Endo is exceptional and making you sympathetic in an unsentimental way, and especially for a character that you want nothing more than to hate. In essence, he makes you face yourself while at the same time holding the painful truths of our faith, front and center.
July 26, 2018
Stories of characters either seeking or finding, some told in a more objective style, and one (the last) highly emotional. Overall, the stories are quite varied & each seemed to get better as I progressed. Two of the stories are supplements to longer works: the first story, "Unzen," supplements Silence, while "The Case of Isobe" is the first chapter of Deep River. Endo's readability & accessibility is excellent, considering his sophisticated use of symbols, or personified symbols that he imbues with meaning. Whether his version of interconnectedness is the result of his faith or of general humanism, that ideal is apparent throughout; it seems to be the foundation of each.
"I couldn't help but feel that these several postcards, filled with the truth of the matter, had taken on a will of their own, and had been waiting patiently inside the wooden box for many years until they could be read by someone like me....Plants must converse with each other, and I have the impression that trees and rocks and even postcards saturated with the thoughts of men must all speak to one another in hushed voices."
Might that final line from "The Box" be a metaphor for Endo's own hope for what individuals might get from his own writing?
"I couldn't help but feel that these several postcards, filled with the truth of the matter, had taken on a will of their own, and had been waiting patiently inside the wooden box for many years until they could be read by someone like me....Plants must converse with each other, and I have the impression that trees and rocks and even postcards saturated with the thoughts of men must all speak to one another in hushed voices."
Might that final line from "The Box" be a metaphor for Endo's own hope for what individuals might get from his own writing?
June 2, 2013
This is a book of 5 short but by no means simple stories. In 'Unzen', a student covers the journey taken by Christian martyrs up Mt Unzen, where where they were tortured and finally killed. In 'A Fifty-Year-Old Man', Mr Chiba's latest hobby is learning ballroom dancing, but he soon has to face the death of his dog and his brother. In 'Japanese in Warsaw', 10 Japanese businessmen go on a trip to Poland and ignore the history of the country, dislike the food, are only interested in Polish prostitutes, and puzzled by the frequent reference to a priest named Kolbe who had been a missionary in Japan for a few years and was later killed in Auschwitz the locals believe they should know. In 'The Box', a box of photos, letters and postcards found in an antique store tells the story of a woman who may have been a WWII spy. And lastly, in 'The Case of Isobe', a man goes to India to find the reincarnation of his wife.
His writing is so eloquent, it forced me to read more slowly, all the better to savor his words.
His writing is so eloquent, it forced me to read more slowly, all the better to savor his words.
December 31, 2016
Of particular interest to those who've read Endo's novel, "Silence," on which the just-released Scorsese film is based, will be the first story. Titled "Unzen," one of its principal characters is Kichijiro, the "Judas" character from "Silence." We get Kichijiro's backstory in greater detail here than we did in "Silence," via a flashback of sorts from the protagonist in this story who in the 1970s is visiting the site where Kichijiro, more than three centuries earlier, had been a witness to the torture and persecutions of Christians in the 17th century on Mount Unzen, near the city of Shimabara, in Nagasaki Prefecture. The narrator/protagonist, a Christian himself, wonders what he would've done and how he would've maintained his faith under such circumstances.
April 3, 2018
This is a great little intro into Endo's world. The opening story is a great pairing to his most famous work Silence. It takes place in modern time. The main character is on a tourist trip to see the site where Japanese Christians were tortured and persecuted for their beliefs. The other stories were great too. I particularly like the one about the dog and brother who were dying at the same time. The reason I didn't give 5 Stars is because the last story is the opening chapter of another book. I'd like to have read a 5th full story, not just a teaser. But, it does make me interested in reading the book the excerpt is from. Really glad I discovered Endo. He is an author that I will stick w/.
May 22, 2018
Years ago I read Endo’s novel “When I Whistle” and swore I’d read more of his work “soon”. I just never got around to “soon” until now, when I had the pleasure to read this wonderful little collection, the last piece of which is the opening to his novel “Deep River” (which I will be reading “soon”, promise). “Five By Endo” is the perfect way to be introduced (or re-introduced) to Endo. The story about “The Fifty Year Old Man” will stay with me for a while. And I was intrigued by the notion in “The Box” that random keepsakes from a stranger from decades past can acquire a destiny of their own, willing themselves somehow to be discovered some day. Well, consider it your destiny to discover Endo through this little gem.
April 30, 2018
I was introduced to Shusaku Endo upon watching Martin’s Scorsese’s film adaptation of his most beloved novel, Silence. I have yet to read the novel, but I was required to read this book for a class. The five stories collected here are an excellent introduction to work and have provided me with great interest in his longer novels. His stories are simply magical. I would recommend them to anyone, especially if they are interested in bridging the gap between East Asian culture and Christianity. I now understand why he is often compared to his British contemporary, Graham Greene who, in the same sense, brilliantly portrayed the modern man’s struggle with religion.
August 31, 2022
a bit disappointing, probably because I often have a hard time with the short story format. A common theme in these 5 short stories is death.
“Winner of every major Japanese literary prize, his work translated around the globe, Shusaku Endo (1923-1996) is a great and unique figure in the literature of the twentieth century”, to quote Goodreads. But he was unique in the sense that he was Roman Catholic, definitely not that common in the world Japanese authors.
my full review is here:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2014/12/18/r...
“Winner of every major Japanese literary prize, his work translated around the globe, Shusaku Endo (1923-1996) is a great and unique figure in the literature of the twentieth century”, to quote Goodreads. But he was unique in the sense that he was Roman Catholic, definitely not that common in the world Japanese authors.
my full review is here:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2014/12/18/r...
August 28, 2011
These five short stories were well written, however they did not hold my interest. I'm not exactly sure why, but when I read a short story, I always look for a great twist at the end. None of these had what I was looking for, so.. yeah. A bit disappointing. However, if you don't care about a short story twist, then I would give the book a read!
October 23, 2011
Endo is a unique Japanese author that is very much worth reading. He is a Japanese Christian, and it is fascinating how he interprets Christianity to fit in his context. I would definity recommend books like Silence or Wonderful Food. These 5 short stories give a small taste of the themes of Endo, and offer a nice introduction.
May 15, 2014
Besides a bit of Flannery O'Connor, I haven't read many short stories written by Catholics. After reading, Endo's "Silence" I wanted to read more of his stories, and I found these five-short stories delightful, yet poignant, with great emotional and spiritual depth.
December 12, 2015
Chose this book randomly off the library shelf.
Found it a little dull, but it wasn't that bad.
Found it a little dull, but it wasn't that bad.
March 5, 2020
Bleak, but not without food for thought.
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